


Fan-Fact or Fiction?

by xenobia4



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, JYJ (Band)
Genre: Cutting, Kidnapping, M/M, Needles, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Stabbing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-07-12 20:59:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 23
Words: 69,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16003202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xenobia4/pseuds/xenobia4
Summary: A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.Very gruesome and illicit happenings.It’s all just a made-up story, right?Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction then anyone ever imagined.





	1. Internet Search

**1**

**Internet Search**

_I could never remember seeing someone so beautiful. In all of my years, no one I had ever come across – male or female – was ever more attractive._

_Those fine features: Those beautiful brown eyes with their long eyelashes that always seemed to fall so gently whenever they would close over the eyes._

_That beautifully fine and smooth skin that was always so perfect. It seemed almost like silk – smooth and soft silk that begged to be touched._

_The gentle hands – so elegant with their long fingers and graceful complexion. Any time they even moved it seemed they did with gentle movements, never harsh._

_Those pouty lips – so red and succulent. The urge to just kiss them and bite them softly was so overwhelming it felt as though I would go mad if the chance never came._

_Then that slender form. Whenever I would see that graceful body walk and hips sway side-to-side, I could not help it. My mind would become blank I would only be able to stare._

_Overall, he had quickly become my obsession. I could feel my hands sliding down the slender waist as my mouth met his in a passionate kiss. Throwing him onto my bed and doing everything to him that one could only imagine, and even things that would never be thought. Having him cry out beneath me as we would make love._

_He would be mine – only mine._

_No one else’s._

* * *

“Ah…Changmin, what are you reading?” Junsu asked as he came up behind Changmin who was at the computer in the hotel café.

Currently, the group was residing in Seoul and staying at a hotel for w a few days while they were on break; at least for a little while. They had a five day-long break from their current tour and at the end of the five days, they would be giving another concert at the main hall. They had managed to keep their current location somewhat quiet so as not to be bothered by any unwanted attention.

Yunho and Yoochun were currently at the pool that was downstairs while Jaejoong was just relaxing in the suite on the top floor. That was where Junsu was before he had come downstairs to get something to drink at the café. When he spotted Changmin, he decided to see what the youngest member was up to.

The hotel was fairly large; mainly to accommodate executive guests and it had just about every leisure facility it could hold. Between the Olympic-sized pool on the bottom floor, there was also a sauna, massage-therapy, indoor gym, complimentary room-service, and many other services. The main object to the hotel was to give those who were at a constant pace a time to slow down and just relax; a time to enjoy their surroundings and not have to worry about every trivial matter that went on in their lives.

It was Dong Bang Shin Ki’s second day at the hotel and none of them had even left the building – they did not see a need to. Besides that, their manager advised against it, saying that if they left the building, the chances of someone following them back and stalking their location was highly plausible.

Changmin turned his head to look at Junsu and he just shrugged, an eyebrow raised as he shook his head.

“I’m not really sure,” he said, turning back to face the computer. Junsu put his hand on Changmin’s shoulder and leaned to read. “Someone sent it to my e-mail account.”

He watched Junsu’s expression as he read the first few lines, making a note of the eyebrow raise on the older member’s face.

“That’s…interesting,” he said, leaning back, shifting so he was not putting so much pressure on the other’s shoulder. “Who’s it supposed to be about?” he asked as he took hold of the mouse and began scrolling down, trying to find a name.

“Dunno,” came the reply as he looked back to the screen, watching words scroll by as Junsu tried to find out who the story was about. “I had just started reading it.”

He watched Junsu nod as he continued to scroll. Finally, seeming to give up, Junsu scrolled back to the top and let go of the mouse. Without a word, he turned and walked away from Changmin, leaving the other in a confused state, wondering where he had just walked off to. He turned back to see Junsu dragging a chair from an empty table towards the computer. He set it next to Changmin’s chair and sat down in it.

He looked to Changmin and let his quirky smile fall on his face as he cocked his head slightly to the side. “Figured I’d join you.”

Changmin just stuck his tongue through his teeth to mock the older member.

“And what makes you think I want to keep reading it? It sounds kinda…strange,” he said, looking back to the monitor.

Junsu just shrugged his shoulders. “Because. I know Changmin’s curiosity. Besides,” he said as he leaned with his elbows on his knees. “You wouldn’t have been reading it so far if you weren’t.”

He turned to see Changmin’s face turn a slight shade of pink. The older male could not help but laugh. Changmin did not even reply, he just grabbed the computer mouse and clicked on the screen, scrolling down past the part they had already read.

Oddly enough, the origin of the e-mail was unknown. Changmin had tried to see who it was from, but the sender’s e-mail address had been blocked; however, the e-mail had been sent to well over one hundred address, judging by the server information. He would have just deleted it as spam, but it was the fact that no one outside the group, with the exception of a few friends and family, knew his official account. Because of the oddity, he decided that it was worth a look.

* * *

“Incoming!”

“Hey—!”

There was a loud splash and water sloshed onto the floor.

Yunho popped onto the surface of the water a moment later and Yoochun splashed him.

“Hey, you almost landed on me!”

“I said ‘incoming’,” he replied as he began swimming towards the middle of the pool.

“A split-second before you jump isn’t exactly a warning,” Yoochun mumbled.

It was drowned out by the sounds of other people yelling and laughing, their voices echoing in the large room. The floor tiles were a dark orange and the ceiling seemed large enough that one could fit a giant circus tent inside and still have room. There was a large fountain in the middle of the pool with lights that surrounded it, as well as lights in the pool that ran along the sides. Yet, even with all the lights, it was still a dim room.

There were quite a few people in the pool, though perhaps proportionally, there really were not. Those that were in their twenties and younger seemed to be the only ones actually swimming while the older crowd just sat near the pool, chatting to friends about work or random nonsense. The duo had plans to go for a swim and they had tried to get the other members to join them, but Changmin was in the café and both Jaejoong and Junsu said they just wanted to kick back and relax. Yoochun said they were no fun before he and Yunho left the suite to head to the elevators.

As Yunho pulled up to the middle of the pool, he turned over on his back and began swimming in a backstroke around the edge of the fountain. Unlike most hotel pools, this pool was deepest at its center, reaching twelve feet – average pool depth. Yoochun just kicked his legs to stay afloat in one area as he leaned back to arch his neck, looking up at the ceiling lights. He came back to his senses when he was splashed as Yunho was making another round.

The younger member came up with an idea and inhaled, diving under the water. He opened his eyes once he was under, the water distorting his vision as he looked for his target. He started swimming under the fountain to the other side and, seeing Yunho’s legs as it kicked back into the water, he grabbed the other’s ankle and pulled, dragging the older member under the water.

As Yunho went under, he went up to get air. No sooner he was above water that Yunho came up behind him, gasping for air.

“That was really cruel, Yoochun!” he shouted as he laughed, grabbing Yoochun’s shoulders. He pushed, causing the other to go under. He pulled off almost immediately; Yoochun came up, gasping for air and coughing. He turned sharply and splashed Yunho.

“Not funny!”

“Awe…did I scare Yoochun?”

Yoochun just shook his head while Yunho laughed.

“I’ll show you who’s scary!” he cried out as he lunged towards Yunho.

The older member just swam out of his reach, mocking the other’s futile attempts to catch him. He egged him on before diving under the water, swimming as fast as he could away from the one chasing him.

All-in-all, it was nice being able to just let loose and have fun, without people staring and watching their every movement. Here they were able to just kick back and relax, not having to worry about any unwanted attention. Being able to be so free in a hotel, in Seoul at that was so nice, especially with every leisure available to them.

Shortly after Yunho came back up for air, he dove right back down, wondering if he could lose Yoochun with a special tactic. He swam back towards the fountain, but on the opposite side, thinking that perhaps he would be able to elude him with a game of cat and mouse. When he came up on the other side, he peeked around the edge to see if the other was still following him. A curious look came upon his face when he did not see him, but that was soon answered as a wave of water came raining down on him.

Because he was not expecting it, he inhaled pool water and began coughing, jerking his head to see Yoochun laughing at him. He coughed again.

“Oh that’s it!” he shouted at the laughing Yoochun. “You are so dead!”

“Gotta catch me first!” Yoochun shouted back as he started swimming away as fast as he could.

“Get back here!”

And the chase was on.


	2. Plans & Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction then anyone ever imagined.

_Watching as he walked down the hall to and from, I could feel my heart beating hard in my chest. The way he moved; the way he walked; everything he did was to seduce me. I could feel it._

_Whenever he would flip his hair away from the front of his face…._

_He was flirting with me, even if he did not realize it. He had passed me in the hallways many times, and whenever he would accidentally bump into me, I could tell the intention behind it._

_He wanted me to have him._

_Every time he would walk behind a close door, I knew that he wanted me to follow him in. Whenever he locked the door, he was just playing hard-to-get. So I would stand outside his door and wait – wait for him to come back out so I could watch him again. Watch his movements._

_I was aware of the movements he made even when he was not aware of them. Each time he ran his hand through his hair; each time he would step a little wider than the last; each time he would flick his eyes off to the side; each time he bit his bottom lip – that pouty, red bottom lip._

_I was fully aware of each and every single movement._

_It took all of my self control not to pin him against the wall as he passed by me and ravish him. I could feel myself stiffen every time I thought of him and I just wanted to pin him up against the wall on his abdomen and hear him cry out for him each and every single time I would thrust myself deeper and deeper._

_But no…._

_That would have to wait for now._

_The time was not quite right._

_It would not be much longer now before I would have him – before I would make him mine and do everything to him._

* * *

The page ended.

Junsu and Changmin just stared dumbly at the computer screen, their minds barely functioning after reading the script to the end of its limit. However, unlike before, there was nothing that continued passed the current point.

When they had finished reading the first chapter, the name of who the person was writing about was still not listed, and when Changmin closed out the window and returned back to his e-mail inbox, there was a new message, reading as Chapter Two. Yet, even after reading through both chapters, the person’s name still was not listed and both of the members were still curious – it having yet to be satisfied.

Junsu sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, seeming to pout. Changmin’s expression was similar and they just stared at the screen. Junsu blew his hair out of his face.

“Well, that was a waste of time,” he said; Changmin turned to look at him. “Never even told us who it was about.” He looked back to Changmin. “There isn’t another chapter?”

Changmin shrugged and closed out the window, returning to his e-mail inbox. He refreshed the page and when it popped back up, there were no new messages. This just seemed to upset them even more.

Junsu sat back up and looked sideways to Changmin. “Well, as entertaining as this was…I’m going back upstairs.”

He pushed his chair back and stood up. He grabbed the chair and as he went to put it back at the table he retrieved it from, Changmin called over and said that he was coming, too. He closed out of the internet and stood up, following after Junsu.

* * *

Yoochun groaned as he stretched, popping his back in several different locations. His hair was still wet and both he and Yunho smelled of chlorine. Yunho had his towel slung over his shoulders as he pressed the button for the elevator. Their swimming trunks dripped pool water onto the floor, but the floor was already wet, so it did not much matter. The elevator dinged before opening up in front of them.

They stepped into the vacant space and Yoochun pressed the button for the top floor when they got in. Unlike the rest of the building, the bottom floor had a set of elevators at the very end of the hallway for those that had been swimming so as not to dampen the carpet that was laid down in the main elevator. The doors shut and as the elevator began shifted, it began taking the two the top floor.

Yunho grabbed the bar that ran along the walls and leaned back on it, sighing and looking up at the floor numbers that lit up as they passed them.

“Ya,” Yoochun said, getting the other’s attention. “What time are we supposed to be in the dinner hall, anyway?” he asked, flipping his hair out from in front of his face.

The group had made plans that morning to enjoy a nice dinner in the dining room on the main floor – or at least some of them had. When they had all made the plans, Changmin was still asleep, refusing to wake up. He was filled in when he woke up, though they all wondered if he was coherent enough to comprehend what they had told him. He only replied with grunts as he made his way to the restroom.

Yunho just shrugged. “Six, isn’t it?” Yoochun made the same motion. “Ah…ask Jaejoong. He’ll remember.”

The younger of the two just nodded. He looked back up at the numbers that flashed by as they went higher and higher. They went silent for a moment before, without even looking away, Yoochun said, “I wonder if hyung’s even awake?”

“Probably not.”

They both laughed and soon after, the elevator came to a halt at the top floor. The doors slid open and they stepped out near the vending machines. There were only three suites on the top floor, but once already they almost went to the wrong one. They walked down the hall and when they arrived outside Suite Three, Yunho knocked on the door, neither one of them having their room key.

“Ya…someone open the door, please! I’m getting chilled,” he said, Yoochun laughing at the remark. They waited for a moment and when no one opened the door, Yunho knocked again. “Okay…still waiting out here.”

After another moment, he was about to knock again, but he heard the latch on the other side of the door switch and the chain lock jingle. Finally, the door opened to let them in and after a questioning glance, they did. The door shut behind him and Yunho watched as Jaejoong walked over to the couch. He raised a brow and after Yoochun said hey to the oldest member, he walked towards the restroom. Yunho just shook his head.

“Why did you have all the locks switched, Jaejoong?” Yunho asked as he cocked his head to the side, staring at the oldest member.

He watched the other shrug.

“Uh…no reason. It’s just…,” he trailed off and shook his head. “Never mind.” He sat down on the couch. “It’s nothing.”

Yunho just shook his head. “Come on, hyung. Tell me.”

Jaejoong looked up at him, eyebrows raised. “I know this sounds weird, but I swear up and down that there is someone like…stalking me.”

Yunho laughed. “What?” He watched Jaejoong shrug. “Why would you think someone’s stalking you?”

Jaejoong shrugged again. “It’s probably nothing, but…every time I’ve left this room, the same guy is always out there.”

Yunho just looked at the oldest member strangely. He sighed and walked up to Jaejoong, placing his hand on the top of the other’s head. He shook his head again and clicked his tongue. “Jaejoong, you think everyone’s stalking you.” Jaejoong went to protest, but Yunho interrupted him. “It’s probably someone from anothe

suite. I don’t think someone’s stalking you; let alone a male.”

Jaejoong only shrugged in response. “I know that, but it’s weird. Like…I went out to get a water from the machine a little while ago and he was just kinda…leaning against the wall and watched me as I walked down the hall.” Yunho brought his hand back and Jaejoong looked up at him, a concerned expression toying with his features. “It really freaked me out, ya know?”

Yunho snorted a laugh and shook his head, rubbing Jaejoong’s arm. “You’re just being paranoid, Jaejoong.” Jaejoong went back to staring in front of him. “It’s not every day we get to just kick back and relax like this. Don’t let it get to you, okay?” He watched as Jaejoong nodded.

Jaejoong smiled and looked back up at Yunho. “Ah…you’re probably right.”

Yunho took his arm back. “I know I am.” He smirked when Jaejoong laughed. He groaned and started walking to the bathroom after Yoochun. Jaejoong stood up to follow after him. “So, hyung,” Yunho called back to the other member as he draped his towel over the door to the restroom. Jaejoong stepped up in the doorway to the room; Yoochun had apparently abandoned it. He raised a brow at being called. “What have you done up here all day, other than fret over nothing?” He shot a grin towards Jaejoong who only sneered.

“Sleep.”

“Now you’re sounding like Changmin!” Yoochun called from the first bedroom.

Yunho and Jaejoong just laughed.

“Who sounds like me?” Changmin’s voice came floating around the corner as they heard the door to the suite open.

Yunho and Jaejoong just exchanged glances, Yunho smirking and rolling his eyes as they did. A few seconds later, Changmin and Junsu came walking up to them, though Junsu veered off to the right to head to the bedrooms. Jaejoong and Changmin watched him before shrugging. Jaejoong turned to look back to Yunho while Changmin looked at both of them.

“Who’s sounding like me?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

Jaejoong just bit his lip and pretend he did not hear the question, Yunho doing much the same.

“Uh…so, Jaejoong,” Yunho started, completely disregarding Changmin’s question; this received an annoyed look from the youngest member. “Do you remember what time dinner’s supposed to be in the Dining Room?”

“Yeah,” he replied, adverting his eyes towards Changmin who just sighed and turned on his heel, ditching the two and walking after Junsu. “It’s at five,” he finished, his head turned in the direction of the bedrooms. 

Yunho just nodded. “Thank you.” He turned back towards the door and flipped off the light, exiting the room; Jaejoong moved out of the way as he did so. “Hey, Yoochun!” he called as he began walking towards the bedrooms as well. “Dinner’s at five!”


	3. Paranoid Dining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction then anyone ever imagined.

“Ah. Wearing a tie to a hotel dinner. Shouldn’t even be legal,” Junsu said as he brought the front of tie through the loop. He stood in front of the full-body mirror in the first bedroom as he tried to adjust the tie.

Yunho walked into the room, attention placed on fixing the cuff to his white, linen, button-up shirt. Yoochun was standing near the bed trying to put on a tie as well, but he was not having a difficult time, unlike the Junsu who groaned when he realized he had put the tie on backwards. Jaejoong and Changmin were already set to go and were currently in the living room watching the news. Junsu released a yell of frustration and threw his arms by his side, pouting at failing again.

Yoochun walked up to him and laughed, shaking his head.

“Turn around,” he said, a smirk still on his face.

Junsu did as he was told and crossed his arms, still pouting. Yoochun grabbed the other’s tie and undid it, though he had a hard time figuring out how Junsu managed to get it in a knot. As he assisted him with that, Yunho abandoned them and walked into the living room, seeing the other two members sitting on the couch. His gray suit jacket was draped over the arm of the couch and he walked over, grabbing it and putting it on as he faced the television to see what the other two were so interested in.

As usual, there was nothing new. Mainly just talk about how the economy was not doing well and everything was becoming more and more expensive. He buttoned the front of the jacket and looked at the two sitting lazily on the couch.

“You guys ready to go?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

They both just nodded, not even bothering to look up at him. Yunho sighed and shook his head just as Junsu and Yoochun walked into the room; Junsu’s tie was now correct and now that everyone was set to go, Jaejoong grabbed the remote and turned off the television. He and Changmin stood and glanced around at the others.

“We ready to head down?” Yunho asked the group. He was returned with a group reply of ‘yeah.’

They walked out of the suite and, after making sure that at least one of them had a room key, walked to the elevators. There was only one person in the hallway and they appeared to be walking back to their own room from the vending machines. They passed by the group and almost bumped into Jaejoong who then stood a bit closer to Yunho, closing the gap between him and the leader as he let the other person pass. Changmin was the only one who seemed to notice, but he said nothing and the group stopped just short of the elevator doors.

After pressing the button, Yunho stood with his hands in his pockets.

“Ah…you guys so missed out earlier,” Yoochun said, getting the others attention. He nodded at the curious looks. “The pool here is massive.”

Yunho rolled his eyes as he smirked while the others just laughed.

“Fully aware of that, Yoochun,” Changmin said, shaking his head.

“Really. How many times have you told us?” Jaejoong inputted, also laughing.

Yoochun just shrugged. “Figured I’d let you guys know,” he said, sticking out his tongue.

There was a ding and the elevator doors opened. They stepped in and Junsu pressed the button for the lobby; as the doors began to close, they heard someone shout down the hallway,

“Hold the elevator, please!” Yoochun stuck his hand through the doors before they closed. The sensor picked up on the object that was in the way and to doors opened back. A man stopped outside the elevator before stepping in. “Ah, thank you!” he said to Yoochun, his breath short from literally running to the elevator.

The man glanced at the button that had been pressed and nodded; it seemed as though they were all headed to the same place.

“Here on business?” Yunho asked the man, trying to make small talk.

He watched as the man, who seemed to be not much older than him, shook his head ‘no.’ “Leisure.”

Yunho nodded. “Same here.” The man looked at the other members and when his eyes landed on Jaejoong, the oldest member shifted uncomfortably and leaned on his left leg, standing a bit closer to Yunho. “So…are you headed to the dining hall, too?” Yunho asked, getting the stranger’s attention.

Once again, the man shook his head ‘no’. “I need to go to the front desk and check on my information.” Yunho nodded again. “I’m extending my stay and need to see if I can keep the same room.”

“Worse comes to worse, they could always let you sleep on the couches in the lobby,” Junsu said with a joking tone.

The group laughed at the thought. After another moment of silence, the elevator came to its stopping place and dinged again right before the doors opened. After they walked out of the device, the man they had been chatting to nodded, said it was nice talking to them and left.

They turned and began walking to the dining room, the opposite direction. When they arrived, the room was rather crowded and chatter filled the dimly lit hall. The large chandelier that hung high above on the ceiling was lighting the room just enough, though not too bright. They walked up to the counter to the attendant who was checking the guest book. They looked up when the saw the five approach them and smiled.

“Name please,” he said, grabbing the guest book.

“Uh…should be under TVXQ,” Yunho said as Yoochun shifted behind him.

The man looked back down at the black book and began scrolling though the pages. He flipped the pages a few times before seeming to find it. “Ah. Here you are. Five, yes?” he asked, craning his neck to count all the available members. Yunho just nodded. “Okay,” he turned next to him and counted out five menus before turning to hand them to a waitress that stood behind him, chatting to another female. “Minyu will take you to your table,” he directed toward the group as the female began walking into the room. 

The group followed after her, all the while in aw at the restaurant.

Sure, they had been to high class restaurants, but finding one so nice in a hotel was highly unlikely. When they arrived at their assigned table, which was on a second level, only two small steps from the bottom floor, they took their seats, thanking the woman who led them. She bowed, said their waitress would be right with them, and left, walking back to the front. 

Menus were already set out on the table and they opened them, scanning through. As they read through, their waitress came to take their drink orders before turning away to retrieve them, leaving the group again. It was not until after she had returned with their drinks that any of them decided on what they were going to have. With the exception of Changmin, they had all chosen what to eat and had already set their menus on the corner of table – neatly stacked.

They broke out in random chatter, talking about what they had wanted to accomplish before their short vacation was over. Junsu said something about going to the sauna while Yoochun commented that he should check out the pool. At this, Yunho, who was sitting on his right, hit him on the back of the head; this made the others laugh. Junsu lightly elbowed Jaejoong in the side, and then whispered something to him, making him look across the table at Yoochun and laugh. Yoochun just gave them both an annoyed look.

“Coming from paranoid Jaejoong, I don’t think hyung should be laughing at Yoochun so much,” Yunho said in a joking manner as he looked at Jaejoong, who sat in front of him. Jaejoong sneered at him as he stuck out his tongue.

At this, Changmin finally looked up from his menu to look over at Yunho, craning his neck around Yoochun.

“Why would Jaejoong be paranoid?” he asked, facial expression obviously confused.

Yunho snickered as he kept his eyes locked with Jaejoong’s. “Should I tell him?”

The oldest just raised a brow, as if challenging him. “I’d prefer you not.”

With the two sentences, they now had the attention of the rest of the members; each of them looking at them suspiciously. The two oldest members seemed to have a silent argument back and forth across the table before, finally, Jaejoong sighed and shook his head, looking down.

“You’re an ass,” Jaejoong said in a defeated tone.

Yunho grinned and bit his tongue. “I know.”

Junsu just looked back and forth between the two before shaking his head. “Okay,” he drew out. “Back to what Changmin was asking. Why would Jaejoong be paranoid?”

At this, Jaejoong just put his elbow on the table and set his chin in his hand, facing away from the group, trying to ignore them. Yunho just shrugged.

“Jaejoong thinks he has a stalker.”

The others just exchanged glances. Changmin went back to looking over the menu, and then replied, “I’d believe that.” Everyone turned to look at him, except Jaejoong, who seemed interested in a salt shaker on another table. Changmin looked up at them and shrugged. “What? Is it so difficult to think that maybe there are people staying here that are fans?”

“Not that are men in their late twenties,” Jaejoong muttered. Once again, everyone shifted their attention to the speaker. Jaejoong sighed and shut his eyes, bringing his attention back to those at the table. He opened his eyes, connecting his eyes with Yunho’s again. “Excuse me for being uneasy about some creep who watches my every move.” Yunho just rolled his eyes, slightly shaking his head. “And now, if you will pardon me,” Jaejoong started as he stood up, setting his hands on the table. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Yoochun laughed. “Nice timing.”

“Don’t you think?” Jaejoong looked around at everyone. “If she comes back while I’m out, order for me,” he said, his eyes landing on Junsu.

Junsu nodded. “Okay. What do you want?”

“Smoked salmon on rice.” Junsu said ‘okay’ again and gave a nod. “Thank you.”

With that said, he scooted his chair back and left, but not before pushing his chair back in underneath the table. Junsu turned his head and he and Yunho watched Jaejoong disappear from the large room. He turned back to face the front and looked at Yunho who was still staring after the other. He cleared his throat, causing Yunho to look at him.

“You really think he’s just being paranoid, hyung?” Junsu asked, giving a curious look.

The other two seemed to be just as curious, whereas they tuned in and they all looked at Yunho, waiting for a response. Yunho only released a breath of air and shrugged his shoulders. He clicked his tongue.

“I don’t know.” He glanced down at the table, then back up. “I mean, someone very well could be stalking him. It just seems kind of unlikely for it to be here, you know?” He looked around the table as the other somewhat nodded; mixed feelings going around.

Everyone went silent, not knowing what to reply. Changmin went back to looking over his menu. It was not until after he had chosen and gave his menu to Junsu to place on the edge of the table with the rest of the menus that anyone spoke up. It was Junsu’s jump and clap that broke the silence.

“You know,” he started, putting his index finger on his cheek. “Speaking of strange things, you should see this story that someone sent to Changmin’s e-mail.”

Changmin’s face went slightly red and his eyes widened a bit as he nodded. “Yeah,” he said; Yunho and Yoochun turned to look at him. “It was…pretty weird.”

Junsu nodded his head furiously. At their reactions the others were now curious and Yoochun lightly kicked Junsu in the leg from under the table, asking him what it was about. When Junsu asked Changmin if he wanted to tell them, Changmin’s eyes went wider and he shook his head, becoming silent. Junsu laughed at his reaction before deciding to tell them.


	4. Cellphones & Ringtones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction then anyone ever imagined.

**4**

**Cellphones & Ringtones**

Yunho and Yoochun just stared at Junsu; Changmin was staring at his lap, seeming interested in something else, not really wanted to look up to see the other’s facial expressions. When Junsu finished telling them about the story they had read, the other two said nothing, which made Changmin (and he suspected Junsu) feel somewhat embarrassed. He felt nervous just over the fact that he had actually read it. Give or take, Yoochun and Yunho were looking at Junsu as if he had just lost his mentality and when Changmin finally decided to look up, this was the look he was introduced to.

Yoochun blinked, his expression unchanging. Yunho brought his arm up and scratched his cheek as he shook his head.

“Wait…so someone sent this…story to Changmin’s e-mail and you two actually read it?” He looked around Yoochun at Changmin. “Care if I ask why?”

Changmin inhaled slowly, shrugging as he did so. It took him a moment to reply. “Well…,” he started, though trailed off for a moment before continuing. “It’s just…no one else has my e-mail address.” He made eye contact with Yunho. “Other than you guys and family, it’s private.” Yoochun turned to look at Changmin as well. “It just seemed really odd that I would get something like that from an outsider.”

There was silence that followed until Yunho reiterated;

“So you read it….”

Changmin frowned and almost seemed to pout when that was all he was replied to with. They laughed at his reaction and Yoochun nudged him in the side before putting his arm over Changmin’s shoulder and hugging him.

“Awe! Look what you did, hyung,” Yoochun said as he looked at Yunho. “You’re going to make cute Changmin cry.”

Changmin just shook his head while Yunho stuck out his bottom lip, acting as though he felt bad. He put his index finger at the corner of his eye and ran it down his cheek, as if it was a tear. Changmin stuck out his tongue.

He was about to retort, but the waitress came up to the table. He held her hands together and smiled, looking around at each of the members.

“How are you all this evening?” she asked. They replied with ‘fine’. “My name’s Cho and I’ll be your waitress for the evening. So, what would you guys like to drink?” It was water all around and the waitress just laughed. “You guys are making this easy for me.”

“We could always mix it up a bit,” Yunho said, looking at her and smirking slightly.

“I think I could keep up,” she said, still smiling. The group laughed.

“We’ll hold you to that,” Yunho replied.

“Yeah,” Junsu chimed in. “If you mess up one order, no tip,” he said in a joking manner.

She laughed again. “I’ll remember that.” She looked down to see five menus stacked neatly on the edge of the table before looking back up at the group. “You ready to order?” she asked, raising a brow. They all nodded, though slightly. They each told her their orders and when they were through, she repeated what they had said, confirming, whereas she was not carrying a pad to write them down. When she said them correctly, Yunho made another joke about her remembering them. She just shook her head and left to put in the orders and retrieve the drinks.

Yunho cleared his throat and looked back to Junsu. “So, anyway. This ‘story’ that you two read…,” he trailed off.

Junsu just nodded. “It was weird!” He looked at Changmin. “Hey, Changmin,” he said, getting the other’s attention. “After dinner, print that story out and let them read it.” Changmin gave Junsu a strange look and shifted his eyes around. “Maybe they can tell who it’s about.”

Changmin just shook his head. “I’d really rather not.”

Yoochun snorted. “That bad, huh?”

“That…strange.”

Silence ensued around the table. Junsu and Changmin seemed to reach an unsaid agreement to allow the other two to read it when they made eye contact from across the table. Junsu shrugged while Changmin sighed and nodded. From there, they started chatting about the performance in a few days and how they would miss the hotel. Junsu cracked and said that the only thing Yoochun would miss was the pool. Yoochun retorted by saying in a sarcastic tone that maybe next time they would just pitch a tent on a soccer field.

Junsu just narrowed his eyes and sneered, faking a laugh; though this caused the rest of them to laugh. The waitress returned with their drinks and glanced at the empty seat next to Junsu. She asked if the other member had ditched them, whereas he had been gone so long and Yoochun laughed, replying that Jaejoong was probably trying to climb out of the bathroom window like a date gone wrong. After chatting with her for a few more minutes (though it was mainly playful teasing), she left the table to check on her other rounds.

Yoochun watched until the waitress was out of sight before looking at Yunho.

“Ah…Jaejoong is taking a long time.”

Yunho snorted. “I told him to stop drinking the toilet water.” The group laughed

Junsu groaned and rolled his neck, receiving the others’ attention. “I’ll go check on him,” he said as he scooted back his seat and stood up. “Make sure he didn’t drown or something.”

At the comment, Changmin threw a balled up napkin at him. It hit him lightly in the chest. “You all are so mean,” he said, though a grin was playing on his face as well.

Junsu scoffed and Yoochun turned his head to look at the youngest member. “Oh, like you have room to talk!”

“More than you!”

As they began their childish quarrel, Junsu just shook his head and turned on his heel. He excused himself as he moved passed a waiter that was serving dinner to a table and once he passed him, he walked down the two stairs to the main floor before heading towards the restrooms. People were laughing and talking about random things; wine glasses tinged against each other as people gave toasts; a wedding party seemed to be in the left side of the room. An older gentleman stood up to give a toast to the bride and groom and as he gave it, the section laughed over something Junsu did not hear.

When he came out in the foyer, he looked around before realizing he did not even know where the restrooms were. He had to ask an attendant who pointed him down a narrow hallway that was decorated with red fauna. He nodded and thanked the attendant before heading down the passageway. Sure enough, at the end of the hallway was a split. To the right was for women and to the left was for men. He entered the men’s restroom and was introduced to a stall setup. He looked underneath the stalls, but did not see any shoes and the urinals were all abandoned.

“Hello?” he called, his voice echoing off the floor tile and walls. “Jaejoong?” he asked, though received nothing in response. He inhaled and then said in a singsong voice, “Kim Jaejoong hyung. Are you in here?” Once again, there was no response. He frowned and shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck.

He turned around and exited the bathroom, but not before glancing back once more. He returned to the foyer and spotted the attendant. He walked up to them and asked if he had seen anyone fitting Jaejoong’s description, but they said they had not and that their shift had only started five minutes ago. They apologized when they saw the confused look on Junsu’s face, but Junsu just smiled and thanked them before returning to the dining hall.

He made his way back through the crowd. The wedding party was roaring with laughter as the bride and groom hooked their arms together before drinking from their wine glasses. He shook his head again and made his way back to his own group on the second level. When he approached them, Yoochun looked up at him and was about to ask about Jaejoong, but Junsu beat him.

“You guys, Jaejoong’s not in the bathroom,” he said, putting his hands on the table and leaning in.

They all exchanged curious glances.

“You sure?” Yoochun asked, receiving a nod as a response.

“Yeah. I checked the stalls and called, but I didn’t get a response.”

Yoochun knitted his eyebrows together and looked at Changmin who was staring up at Junsu, his mouth open slightly. Yunho pushed his hair back from his face.

“Could he have gone back to the room for something?” he asked, still looking at Junsu.

Junsu just shrugged. “I could go check.”

The other three nodded, seeming that to be the best idea.

“If you would?” Yunho asked, and Junsu nodded. “After all, I don’t know where else he could run off to.”

“All right,” Junsu replied before pushed back off the table. “If he gets back while I’m up there, just…tell him not to move.”

The others just chuckled somewhat; Junsu as well.

He turned to leave the group, but was called back by Yoochun.

“Hey, wait up,” he said as he pushed his chair back. The rest turned to look at him. “I’ll come, too.” He pushed his chair in and walked around the table to Junsu, leaving Yunho and Changmin alone at the table.

He and Junsu walked back down to the lower section. The wedding party was still laughing, though this time it seemed to be about something else. The large party was looking at a bridesmaid and groomsman who were talking about something to the rest of the group. The words ‘little sister’ drifted over to the duo who were exiting the room.

They walked out into the lobby where the attendant still stood, pointing a couple in the direction of the dining hall. Yoochun nudged Junsu and pointed to the elevators that stood deserted. They walked over and pressed the button to go up. They did not wait long; it dinged and the doors slid open, inviting them in. When they stepped in and pressed the button for the top floor, the doors shut and the elevator groaned before beginning the ascent.

Junsu leaned back on the railing and blew out a whoosh of air.

“Where do you think he went?” Yoochun asked, referring to Jaejoong, as he looked at Junsu who only shrugged.

“I don’t know.” There was a moment of silence before Junsu added, “Maybe his stalker got him.”

They laughed slightly about the thought, but Yoochun shook his head. “That’s not funny,” he said, though a smirk was tingeing at the corners of his mouth.

Junsu raised his eyebrows.

The elevator began to slow, then dinged to state that they were at their destination. The doors opened up and the two walked out of the machine. Yoochun reached into his back pocket and pulled out his card key for the door. They stepped up to the outside of Suite Three and he slid the card in the door before pulling it out. The light flashed green and the hinge clicked, allowing them to open the door.

He pushed the door open and they walked into the room.

“Jaejoong?” Junsu called the second they were through the door. The door shut behind them and Yoochun echoed Junsu’s call.

“Check the bedrooms,” Yoochun said as they walked in the general direction.

The bathroom was bare and Junsu walked back to the bedrooms. A few moments later, he called back to Yoochun to state that it was clear. He joined the older member back in the living room and they both exchanged concerned looks.

“Try calling his cell,” the older of the two suggested.

Junsu nodded and walked back to the front bedroom where his cellphone sat on the end table connected to the cord as it charged. He unplugged it and dialed in Jaejoong’s cellphone number. He put the phone to his ear and listen to it ring once.

Twice.

Three times.

Four times.

It kept ringing before it went to voicemail. He pulled the phone away from his ear just as Yoochun walked into the room as well. Junsu furrowed his eyebrows up and gave a deeply concerned look to Yoochun.

“He’s not picking up.”

Yoochun blinked and adverted his eyes off to the side, as if trying to find a reason why Jaejoong would not answer. He could not come up with anything. He looked back up to Junsu who was trying again.

“That’s not like Jaejoong. He always picks up his phone.”

Junsu cursed when he received Jaejoong’s voicemail again. He brought his attention back to Yoochun.

“Yoochun…I’m worried.”

Yoochun nodded. “Here. Let’s head back down. Maybe he’s back at the table and not hearing his phone.”

Junsu agreed and they left the room. They returned back to the elevators and after catching one and riding it back down, they stepped out into the foyer of the dining hall. They made their way back through the crowd. The wedding party, still, seemed to be having fun, whereas they were continuing to laugh loudly. Yoochun and Junsu came back to the table only to see Yunho and Changmin sitting there; just as before.

The two sitting immediately looked up at them at their return; both had curious and concerned expressions on their faces.

Junsu shook his head at their looks. “We can’t find him.”

Changmin bit his bottom lip and Yunho furrowed his eyebrows. “Did you try calling his cell?”

The two both nodded.

“Twice,” Junsu replied. “Got voicemail both times.”

Yoochun nodded his head again. “This isn’t like Jaejoong, you guys.” The other three nodded, seeming to agree. “I don’t like this.”

There was silence for a moment.

All four had the same expressions and reactions. Anxiety began to build up and Yunho shook his head, his eyes staring down at the table as they shifted around; much like Yoochun had done upstairs in the suite. He jerked his head to look up at Junsu.

“Do you have your cellphone on you?” Junsu nodded and reached into his pocket, handing it to Yunho. Yunho opened it and dialed Jaejoong’s number. He pressed it to his ear and let it ring. The other three just watched him. While he was doing that, Changmin looked up at Yoochun and mouthed a question. Yoochun just shrugged in response. Yunho pulled the phone away and stared at the name and time, watching it blink as he pressed ‘end call.’ He looked up at Junsu and Yoochun, his eyebrows still upwards and his mouth slightly agape.

“Where could he be?”

Junsu only shrugged. Yunho shook his head and looked back to the phone in disbelief. He scratched his forehead and tried again.

Again, he only received voicemail. He cursed, much like Junsu had, and pushed his chair back. He stood up.

“I’m gonna go check the restroom again.” The other three nodded. “Come with me,” he said to Yoochun who shook his head with an ‘okay’. Yunho looked at Junsu and Changmin. “Wait here in case he comes back, okay?” When they agreed, Yunho and Yoochun walked to the main floor and exited the room, leaving a worried Changmin and Junsu behind.

They walked to the foyer and down the hall towards the bathrooms. When they entered, the room was empty; exactly how it was when Junsu had checked. They called for Jaejoong, but received no reply. Yunho shook his head and opened Junsu’s cellphone again, dialing Jaejoong’s number, deciding that it was worth a shot.

Yoochun just watched him and the other line began to ring.

It rang two more times before Yoochun tapped Yunho on the shoulder. Without ending the call, Yunho brought the phone down from his ear and they heard the ringtone to Jaejoong’s phone going off. They glanced at each other before walking towards the back of the room. The ringing stopped when Yunho shut Junsu’s cellphone, ending the call.

Both just stood staring at the floor.

Behind a leg to a stall lay Jaejoong’s cellphone; the phone lay open and the glass face was cracked, as though it had been stepped on. Next to it laid three small droplets of blood.


	5. Stories v. Blogs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction then anyone ever imagined.

**5**  
**Stories v. Blogs**

The group sat in the lobby to the hotel waiting for the authorities to arrive. Yunho sat with his elbows on his knees and his hands holding his head, keeping his head down; Yoochun sat next to him, rubbing his shoulder in a comforting manner. Junsu and Changmin both looked nervous and kept shifting every few seconds. Their manager was pacing back and forth, his cellphone stuck to his ear as he was chatting frantically with whoever was on the other line.

Hotel staff had already been put on alert, said to speak up if they had even seen a glance of him in the passed hour; however, no one knew anything, saying that the last time they had seen him was in the Dining Hall. Yoochun and Yunho practically ran back to the Hall to get the other members, and when they told them, they ditched the table and ran to the lobby, asking attendants if they had seen him at all.

Their manager had been in the lobby at the time, talking to a client of a lawyer’s firm over something or other, and when the members spotted him, they were in a state of panic, trying to explain what had happened. The authorities were called almost immediately and now they sat in waiting.

Yunho shouted an obscenity that caused the others to look in his direction.

“Damn it!” Yunho shouted as he clamped his eyes shut and jerked his head off to the side. “Why didn’t I believe him?” Yoochun only rubbed his shoulder, though not saying anything. “He was so freaked out and I just played it off…telling him he was being paranoid…,” he trailed off before cursing again. “What the hell kind of leader am I? When I can’t even protect him?” He covered his face with his hands.

Yoochun shook his head. “Hyung, you couldn’t have prevented this—”

“Yeah I could,” Yunho interrupted, his voice shaking. “If I would have believed him, I would have gone with him and wouldn’t have let him go by himself.” He jerked his head again. “But I was too damn stubborn!”

His face was red, from what could be seen from behind his hands, and wet marks could be seen on his cheeks. Junsu shook his head and stood up, staring down at their leader, his hands on his hips as he gave a stern look to Yunho.

“Hyung, we’re as much to blame as anyone!” he said, voice also shaking slightly. Yoochun looked up at him while Yunho only scoffed, still keeping his head down. “You say it’s your fault, but we didn’t believe him, either.” At this, Yunho brought his hands down and stared up at Junsu, making eye contact; his eyes red and bloodshot.

“Any of us could have gone with him…just to be safe, but we chose not to,” Yoochun said, voice barely above a whisper as he adverted his eyes to the floor.

They all fell silent again. Their manager just continued to talk frantically on the phone, before saying ‘thank you’ to whoever it was and closing the phone. He looked at the members and sighed before looking up to see a group of four authorities walking into the lobby. He walked up to them and the members just glanced up, eyebrows furrowed upwards.

What they spoke about was out of earshot, but they saw their manager sigh and shake his head before nodding, looking over to the group. He said something to one of the officers and they glanced at each other, and then began walking in the direction of the others. The group stood up when approached and one of the officers had out a pen and pad, jotting things down. One cleared their throat (he appeared to be the sergeant) and looked at them, eyeing the suspiciously.

“Okay, so can you tell me exactly what happened?” he asked, not breaking eye contact with any of them.

Yoochun adverted his eyes to the side and shrugged. “We were all just…going to dinner….”

Word by word they told the officers what they knew, though the information was very little. They told them about Jaejoong talking about someone stalking him around the hotel and how they thought he was just being paranoid. There was really much to tell. He had gone to the restroom and did not return, so Junsu had gone to look for him before checking the room. They told them about finding Jaejoong’s cellphone in the restroom and the small drops of blood next to it.

At the end of their explanation, the head officer only nodded.

“I see.” He looked to two of the other officers and told them to scout out the restroom near the Dining Hall and to mark it off until forensics arrived to take evidence. Check the cellphone for fingerprints, get a DNA test on the blood drops and see if there were any other things they might have missed. He turned back to look at the four members. “Have you all received anything at all since?”

The others gave him a curious look.

“What do you mean?” Changmin asked, blinking as a confused look washed over his face.

“Usually during this type of scenario, it’s not uncommon for the kidnapper to send a ransom note.” They all exchanged glances. “Given the person, it is possible to assume that’s what this is for. Have any of you received anything?” They shook their heads ‘no’. “Checked the room? E-mail?”

They just continued to shake their heads ‘no’. The officer scratched the back of his head.

“We haven’t done or checked anything,” Yunho said, shaking his head slightly. “Should we go ahead?”

The sergeant nodded his head. “I would recommend checking on your accounts or something. I’ll send investigators to check out the hotel room.” They nodded again. “Print out anything unusual.”

With that said, the sergeant went to talk to their manager again. The members glanced at one another before turning in the direction of the café. Their minds were at a blank as they went to check their e-mail accounts, not really paying attention to anything. Other than spam, nothing was out of the ordinary. When Changmin went to check his, the only thing new in his account was the story that someone had been sending him. He was about to close out, but Yoochun stopped him.

“Wait, is that the story you and Junsu were telling us about?” he asked, eyes on the screen as he stared at it.

Changmin just nodded and gave him a curious look. “Yeah. Why’s it matter?”

Yoochun just shook his head. “He said to print out anything unusual,” Yoochun continued as he looked at the youngest member. “Doesn’t that strike you as unusual?” he asked, pointing to the screen.

Changmin looked back at Junsu who just shrugged. “It couldn’t hurt.” He walked up behind Changmin and put his hand on the back of the chair. “After all, you did say that no one else has the address. If anything, they can just throw it away if it doesn’t have any relevance.”

Changmin sighed and nodded, agreeing. He opened the e-mail and clicked the print icon at the top of the screen. The printed that sat at the end of the row of the computers began to start up as he started to process the document. Just as Changmin was about to close out the screen, Junsu told him to wait as his eyes connected to the computer screen.

“Hey…that seems…kinda…,” he trailed off.

At this, the other three members stared at the opening lines.

What was written seemed strangely familiar.

They glanced at each other, finding this written information a bit odd. Curiosity now overwhelming, they could not help but read the new entry.

* * *

_As I watched him, my heart began throbbing uncontrollably in my chest. I saw him enter with his friends, one by one as they exited the elevator. He seemed…distant to them. Not really paying any attention to anything in front of him as they began walking towards the Hall._

_His strides were clean and soft; he seemed to almost float above the floor like an angel. He was walking next to one of the other’s; seeing him that close to someone else infuriated me for some reason. I could not stand that thought._

‘Why must you torture my heart so?’ _was the thought to run through my head._

_I watched them enter the Hall – that loud, boisterous hall. Above the consistent noise, I could not hear him whenever he spoke. Across the room, I saw his lips move, mouthing words to the others._

_They appeared to be arguing over something._

_That look of disappointment and almost hurt on his face caused my blood to boil._

_Here they were, his supposed friends, causing him so much pain._

_When he stood to leave, I could do nothing more than to follow him. I treaded a few paces behind._

_He was walking awfully hastily, taking long strides as he walked down the hall towards the restrooms._

_What made him so angry?_

_I did not know._

_He pushed the door open to the restroom with quite a bit of force and I waited a minute before walking in after him._

_There he stood…leaning on the sink in front of the mirror, his head downwards as he cursed about something or other._

_My curiosity was blinding me – being so close to him was not helping the matter in any way. My heart pounded loudly within my chest; so much so that I thought it might burst out of my chest._

_I inhaled before approaching him, asking him what had him so upset._

_He chose not to respond; he just shook his head and gazed away from me._

_Oh…the pain that caused my heart just then._

_When I repeated the question, he just pushed off from the sink and walked towards the back to a stall._

_His movements were nervous, I could tell._

_Was being so close to me making him this way?_

_There he was…flirting with me again, seeing if I would follow him._

_Only this time, there was no locked door to separate us._

_He wanted me to have him right there – with that unspoken language, I knew._

_Like a moth to a flame, I decided that now was the time. Here we were alone and him taunting me with those actions of his. I dove in._

_He was standing only partially in the stall, his back to the separator and seeing that exasperated look on his face, I could hardly contain myself._

_That look was not suited to his pretty face, and I told him that._

_He only bit his bottom lip and pulled his head away._

_I knew this test. He was only seeing how I would react; seeing if I would continue. I did not want him to think poorly of me, so I blocked the exit to the stall. I watched his posture tense and reached out my hand to touch his shoulder._

_He flinched away and told me not to, asking me to just leave him alone, but this was just another test he was putting me through. Did he think I would just walk away and ignore him when he was so close I could taste him? Being that close, his scent was intoxicating – like an aphrodisiac. It took all of my self restraint not to take him where he was._

_No._

_I wanted that to be special._

_When I went to grab both of his shoulder, he pulled away from me and backed up further into the stall, repeating what he had said before, only this time with more force._

_He could act all he wanted, but there was no denying the bond between us at that moment. Telling him that made his eyes widen and that surprised expression on his face was absolutely beautiful. His eyes became larger, making those beautiful brown eyes of his strike out against his black hair._

_I could handle my desire no longer._

_But when I did, he tried to fight me._

_I knew at heart that he just wanted to see if I truly meant my feelings, but he was being so rough, I could barely contain him. He almost succeeded, but I could not let him escape me again._

_This chase was becoming dull in my line of work. I couldn’t let him go back to those “friends” of his that seemed to be putting him in this mood._

_I grabbed him by his forearms just as he had pulled out his phone and started dialing a number. I pushed his back against the separator to the opposite stall, causing him to drop it. I did not want to hurt him, but he would not stop fighting me. I told him that, but he continued._

_My love, why do you test me so?_

_I just wanted him to calm down for a bit._

_He caught me in my nose with his fist and I assumed that after he did that I had hit his head on the separator a bit harder than I intended. I saw his eyes go blank for a moment before he ended up collapsing on me. I ran my hand through his hair, the scent so hypnotizing. I reached behind me and grabbed some tissue paper for my nose, before looking at the gorgeous figure that I held in my arms._

_He was…the definition of beauty._

_He looked like a perfect angel when he was asleep._

_So calm._

_So soft._

_His mouth was only slightly open and seeing that, I just had to taste him for myself._

_They were…as I had imagined._

_His lips were so soft._

_Only doing that flamed a new passion._

_I had to—no._

_I needed him. Being without him now was unimaginable._

_My heart would not take that._

_So I did not let it._

* * *

The page ended, leaving all four members to stare dumbly at the screen in front of them. Each of their mouths were agape and eyes were wide enough to tear their eyelids. The printer had stopped ages ago, beeping to signal that it had finished printing the article. They were so caught up in reading that they did not seem to notice. Silence engulfed them; all mind-struck, not know how or what to say.

“T-That’s…not a story,” Yunho said in s dumbstruck voice. “That’s a blog.”

They went silent again and did not notice when one of the authorities walked into the café.

“It was…Jaejoong?” Changmin asked rhetorically, also dumbfounded as he just continued to stare at the screen in front of them.

The officer came up to them when he spotted the group and cleared his throat to make his presence known. Yoochun and Junsu turned to look at him while the other two only continued to stare at the screen. He asked if they received anything and, without looking away from the screen, Changmin just pointed to the printer. The officer gave them each a curious look before walking to the printer to retrieve the printed document.

He flipped through it and gave them a questioning look.

“What exactly is this?” he asked.

“It’s…Jaejoong,” Changmin said as he bit his bottom lip and broke away from the screen, staring up at the officer.


	6. Lose Yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction then anyone ever imagined.

After they had managed to get over the shock of realizing the story that Changmin and Junsu had been reading was truly a blog, all went into an even deeper state of panic. Forensics had arrived shortly after and began taking over the bathroom near the Dining Hall, while investigators arrived and called in a computer analysis to try and trace the e-mail to a CPU. The suite had been checked and nothing had been found that would have been of any concern. Shortly after, the boys returned to the room; the investigators told them to keep an eye on any phone calls or anything out of the ordinary.

With little known, no one knew what to expect.

Changmin was in such a state that Junsu was trying to comfort him, whereas Changmin was now saying that it was his fault because he did not pick up on the blog sooner. Junsu kept saying that there was no way anyone could have known what was truly going on behind it. Yet, no matter what he said, Changmin continued to show doubt. Yoochun even came over to try and soothe him; all the while, Yunho seemed distant.

His eyes were staring off, even when he was speaking to the investigators, his mind was drifting elsewhere. He walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees as he stared at the floor. His mind was racing of past events; how if he would have just found Jaejoong’s words to be true, none of this would have even occurred.

And now, because of his ignorance, some…freak had taken him away.

He cursed under his breath and then heard a faint beeping sound. He turned around to see his cellphone on its charger; the red light at the top was flashing, telling him that he had a missed call. He leaned back and grabbed the phone, pulling it off of the cord that was connected to it, and opened it. The words ‘new voicemail’ were flashing in black on the screen and when he went to see who he missed, his heart jumped to his throat.

Jaejoong’s name stood vibrantly on the high-contrast background; the time showing, roughly, around the same time he had left the table that evening.

He pressed ‘ok’ on his phone and, with shaking hands, brought the phone to his ear.

The moment after the computerized voice gave the information, there was a bang on the other end; sounding like someone had dropped the phone. He just stared in front of him; his eyes wide and his mouth opened as he listened to what had been recorded.

“ _Let me go!_ ” Jaejoong’s voice was heard shouting faintly in the background.

“ _Just calm down!_ ” a stranger’s voice flooded after; though the voice did sound somewhat familiar, Yunho could not pinpoint it.

“ _Stop, damn it! Leave me alone!_ ”

There were sounds of a struggle and mixed shouting.

“ _I don’t want to hurt you, but you have to calm down!_ ”

“ _Stop it! Somebody! Hel—where are you touching?!_ ”

That was all Yunho heard before there was a crack and the line went dead.

He stared in front of him in shock, eyes not even blinking as he kept the phone against his ear. The voice came back saying that there were no other messages and after he heard that line, he brought the phone down, still not tearing his gaze from the front. He began shifting his eyes around before looking at the phone; the time limit he had it on was blinking.

He gritted his teeth and clamped his eyes shut, releasing an estranged cry. The others were soon to be in the room and caught him just as Yunho threw his cellphone against the wall. It lay on the floor, undamaged.

Through everything, and even after taunting him, Jaejoong had stilled tried to call him. He swore and punched the wall near to where his cellphone had landed. One of the few times he did not have his phone on him was the one time he needed it most.

It all became too much.

His heart raced as the stress and anxiety continued to creep in before he lost it and broke down.

Yoochun was the first to be next to him, bringing his arms up and hugging the older member. As Yunho just released his pent up emotions, Yoochun shut his eyes, allowing himself to feel the pain and guilt. Changmin rubbed at his own eyes before setting his forehead on Junsu’s shoulder.

It was difficult, in all manners, for the experience.

Though it was not much time at all, it seemed like ages had passed before Yunho inhaled deeply and pulled away, wiping his face with the back of his hand. He inhaled again and looked at his phone that still lay discarded on the floor.

“I need to go talk to the investigators,” he said in a blank, monotone voice.

Though they gave him a questioning look, no one asked. They watched as Yunho stood, picked up his phone, and left the room. They heard the door to the suite open and close. They exchanged glances and Junsu shook his head.

“I hope Jaejoong’s okay…,” he trailed off and the other two nodded.

* * *

Yunho entered the lobby and looked around, trying to find one of the investigators. He spotted one talking to a hotel desk attendant, asking the attendant if they had seen Jaejoong leave the hotel before asking to see surveillance. The attendant shook their head and said they would have to see their manager. They left their post to retrieve the person they spoke of.

As the investigator sighed, Yunho approached him, his cellphone clenched in his hand.

“Excuse me, sir,” Yunho said, causing the investigator to turn around. “You need to hear this.” He clicked the voicemail on his phone and pressed the number to repeat the message before handing it to the man.

While the investigator listened to them message left on Yunho’s phone, the Dong Bang Shin Ki member stared at the entrance to the hotel lobby. People were walking in and out, seeming happy enough. A few of the Wedding Party members were saying congratulations to the newly wedded couple before leaving; their looks, too, quite content.

For some reason, seeing everyone else around him being so cheerful made Yunho feel even worse. The knot in the pit of his stomach tightened further, making him nauseous. He felt like he was watching everyone through a piece of glass; everyone on the other side seemed not to have a care in the world and he wished he could have joined them; but until they found Jaejoong and knew he was safe and okay, that would not happen.

“The phone.”

Yunho jerked his head to look at the investigator who had just spoken.

“I’m sorry?”

The man sighed and stared down at Yunho’s phone before looked back up at the leader. “Whose phone called yours?”

Yunho shook his head. “Oh…Jaejoong’s….”

The man nodded, though that statement seemed to unnerve him. He was hoping that it would have come from the kidnapper’s phone so they might have had a chance at tracing the call. He sighed and shook his head. He handed Yunho his phone back and seeing the expression playing with the other’s face, he just shook his head solemnly.

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing that’s going to help us with.”

Yunho looked away from him and nodded his head.

He had a feeling that it would not have been of any help, but he was hoping that by listening to it, they would at least try harder to help find Jaejoong.

“Listen,” the man said, attracting Yunho’s attention back. “I hate to be the one to say this, but it would be better if you all don’t interfere with this investigation.”

Yunho just looked at him, expression a mixture between annoyance and anger. “What?” he asked rhetorically and the investigator just shook his head. “How can you just expect us to stand by and do nothing?”

“I’m sorry, but we can’t risk anyone hindering our investigation,” he replied, eyeing Yunho as the member just stared at him in shock.

“How are we going to—?”

The man just cut him off.

“I’m sorry,” he reiterated, his voice stern.

“Sir!” someone shouted towards the investigator. A young man came running up to them; he did not seem any older than Yunho. If anything, he appeared younger.

“What is it?”

“Another blog’s been posted and they’re trying to track it now.”

“Ah…good, good.”

With that said, the investigator excused himself from Yunho’s presence and left with the other. Yunho bit his bottom lip and shook his head. He stared at his phone and after making a decision, he opened his phone back and dialed a number. He pressed it to his ear as it began to ring.

Two rings in, the person on the other end picked up.

“Changmin,” Yunho started as he began walking towards the café. “Check your e-mail.”

* * *

The group entered the café; glancing around, they saw an officer walk into a back room. They assumed that was where they were connected to the CPU and trying to trace the blog. Two of the four computers were currently being used by other people staying at the hotel; each typing away on the screen.

They chose to use the computer at the far end, leaving the empty computer between them and the next person over. Changmin pulled out the chair and sat down, clicking on the internet shortcut. While he was bringing up the information, Yoochun glanced over at Yunho who was staring at a spot on the desk, mind elsewhere.

“You know,” Yunho started, getting the other’s attention. “In a way, I don’t think I even want to know what it says.” He furrowed his eyebrows together and shook his head.

There was a second’s pause.

“I don’t think any of us do,” Junsu replied as he looked up at their leader. “We can deny it as long as we don’t look…but—”

“We’d end up feeling worse if we don’t,” Changmin finished the sentence.

Yoochun and Junsu nodded while Yunho sighed.

“I know….” He took in a breath and shut his eyes before nodding.

Changmin finally pulled up his e-mail and sure enough, there was a new message from the same anonymous sender. Yunho glanced over his shoulder to look for any of the investigators before turning back to the screen. As of yet, he had not told the rest of the group that they were allowed to do nothing involving the investigation – he was still working on it.

The screen popped up and the three behind Changmin leaned in to read it.


	7. DIMINISHED

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author. 
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings. 
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

_Angelic beauty._

_Those were the words that I had been searching for. Unable to acquire them until I witnessed it in person; oh, the simplicity that beauty was. Touchable soft skin that was so smooth, it made my sense almost want to shut down._

_That gorgeous face; those large brown eyes._

_They almost appeared to be glass as they gazed at me._

_I could see a shimmer in them that made me lose sanity as I peered into them._

_Finally, he was looking at me – just me. No one else reflected in those beautiful eyes. He was mine. Mine alone._

_Here, there would be no one to interrupt us._

_No one to interfere with our connection._

_I just lay next to him, running my hand lightly over his abdomen as we stared at each other. I apologized again for how I acted before and only moments prior; but I had already said to him once not to resist me. When he had come to, he tried to put my love through another trial. It was only necessary to have him pinned down._

_It was a shame, really, that I had nothing else I was able to use. Even gauze would have worked better; but alas, I carried naught a piece. The light from the lamp was reflecting off the silver tape and I apologized to him again for the restraints._

_He gave me that look again._

_I brought my hand up and began stroking his cheek; he pulled his head away, off to the side and I only sighed. Leaning over, I kissed the side of his mouth, ignoring the expression toying with his face. I heard the word ‘please’ escape from him mouth and I felt myself tense._

_His voice was enough send one’s mind into overload – as though my ears themselves would go into ecstasy. Knowing that I would be the only one hearing his voice now made my heart race and new rush of excitement flooded through my body._

_Everything he did excited me._

_Every little twitch he would make; the way he would shiver when I ran my hands down his stomach; those small phrases he would say; even the way his chest heaved up and down when he breathed._

_Thinking about it all was driving out the last bit of my sanity. I didn’t think I would be able to contain myself any longer._

_This perfect angel was just begging for me to do everything to him._

_I sat up and went down to kiss him again, but he pulled away from me again, clamping his eyes shut and shutting his mouth._

_Did he want to make this rough?_

_If that was what he wanted, I would surely abide to his desires. So I grabbed a handful of his hair and jerked his head to face me, clashing our mouths together. He released a sound of shock and ended up opening his mouth, allowing me entrance._

_It was sweet._

_Sweeter now that he was aware._

_No crevice lay untouched before I pulled back to look at the exasperated figure below me. I released his hair; with his hair a mess, he looked even more beautiful than before._

_My mind and body could not handle the stress any longer._

_I wanted to hear that voice cry out from beneath me._

_I wanted to see his face in his ecstasy and mine…._

_Now, I would no longer just have to feel suffice with my own imagination._

_I would be able to witness this reality._

_I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him harder onto the bed as I brought my leg over him and straddled him._

_Oh, the look on his face, then. For some reason, seeing him have that almost feared expression on his face was just so invigorating. But it was all right. I wouldn’t let the first time hurt…or at least I would try not to. I wanted this moment to be remembered forever – soldered in his head until eternity. So he, too, would remember this special moment; forever instilled in time._

_I leaned in again and caught his lip while running my hands over his chest. I allowed my hands to trace lower and lower as I started to kiss his jaw line and—_

* * *

“I can’t read this anymore.”

Yunho turned his head away from the computer screen. That was all he said before turning and walking towards a reading area that held couches. Only one other person was in the area and that person had their laptop open, typing. He sat down on a couch towards the far-end wall, bending his head down and covering his head with his hands.

Junsu and Yoochun stood straight while Changmin turned around. They glanced at each other before Yoochun took a step back.

“Just uh…keep reading,” he said, stuttering as he left the two to follow after Yunho.

Junsu shook his head and looked to Changmin, whose eyes had become red. He sat down on the arm of the chair and brought his arm around Changmin’s shoulder, rubbing his arm.

Yoochun walked over to the couch and sat down next to their leader. He did not say anything; they just sat in silence. He was looking across the room as a bookcase when he heard the older member sniff. His head was still bent down, so Yoochun could not see anything, but he released a sigh.

“That can’t be Jaejoong,” Yunho spoke without looking up. Yoochun looked at him and furrowed his eyebrows upward. “It just…it can’t be.”

Yoochun shut his eyes. None of them wanted to believe that what was written was about Jaejoong, but it was too similar. The writer described them having dinner, the argument, Jaejoong heading to the restroom….

Yunho shook his head and turned to look at Yoochun from his current position. Seeing him in this state, Yoochun felt a sharp jab to his chest. Their usually confident leader, the leader who always holds strong no matter what the situation, was broken. Given that he had never seen Yunho like this, it was almost unbearable. While he and the others would always act so immature and not afraid to let others see how they were feeling, Yunho never let his guard down.

Sure. He would act like an idiotic fool with the rest of them, but this…this was just too much.

“He never did anything, Yoochun,” Yunho said, trying to keep his voice from quivering. “Jaejoong never….” He trailed off and jerked his head off to the side as he clamped his eyes shut. “What have I done?”

Yoochun shook his head and hugged Yunho again.

“Hyung…you didn’t do anything.” He noticed that some of the people in the room turned to see what was going on, but he ignored them, all the same. “This isn’t anybody’s fault other than the person who’s doing this.” He heard Yunho inhale again. “We’re going to find him.”

He could hear the doubt even in his own voice. He cursed silently to himself for the way he sounded. He glanced over at Junsu and Changmin who seemed to be having a similar reaction. Junsu was rubbing Changmin’s back and saying something. Yoochun was out of earshot.

He heard Yunho take a deep inhale before rubbing his face. Yoochun pulled back and watched as Yunho wiped away any evidence. He sighed and nodded, not bothering to look up, but the younger of the two knew what he was getting at.

They walked back over to the computer; Junsu and Changmin looked up at them. They glanced at Yoochun before looking at Yunho who only shook his head before leaning back over Changmin’s shoulder and scanning down the page to pick up where they left off. The others just exchanged glances, almost nervous about continuing.

* * *

_I allowed my hands to trace lower and lower as I started to kiss his jaw line and neck._

_God…he was so beautiful._

_Having him tied to the bed post and watching him as I ran my hands up and down his abdomen, I could tell that the movements I made were arousing him. And when my thumb ran over his nipple, his breath hitched and he released a moan – a soft, seductive moan that only made me want to rush faster._

_But no. I had to be patient._

_He had to be patient._

_He asked me to stop, but I could hear the resistance had abandoned his voice. Even if he didn’t want it, his body did; and that was all I needed._

_I kissed down his abdomen and when I crossed over the piercing he had in his left nipple, I bit it. The feeling shocked him, whereas he jumped and released a slight yell. My hands found their way to their destination and as I began fumbling with the button on his slacks._

_But something happened that made me halt for a moment._

_I heard him release a loud cry._

_That noise didn’t do coming from that throat of his. I looked up at him to see that he truly was…crying, begging me to stop._

_But that expression playing on his face…was just so stunning. He knew that look would only further my actions. That’s how I knew that he wanted it just as much as I did._

_He gave me no choice but to deliver._

_I began kissing down his stomach as I started to remove those confines of slacks from his waist._

_I laughed to myself, then._

_I knew that what I was doing was arousing him…._

_Once I had him completely devoid of any clothing articles, I just pulled back to stare at this untainted angelic beauty. Knowing that I would be the first and only one to take the pleasure, that adrenaline rush came back._

_He kept pressing his knees together, trying to conceal himself, but we both knew that attempt was futile._

_I brought my leg up to separate his before leaning down to catch his mouth again._

_Lucky for us, I was always prepared; especially when I knew this moment was coming._

_Of course, I was the gentler of sorts and I took care of preparing him before myself._

_Oh, the beauty of that voice when it cried out as I entered._

_It was as I had imagined._

_No…._

_It was of much more magnificence than any could have imagined._

_Him tossing his head back, hair flailing everywhere. That perfect mouth of his open and crying out with each and every thrust. The consistent word of ‘no’ continued to escape his throat, but I knew that he was only toying. I could tell by his own that he was taking as much enjoyment as I was._

_His body was glistening with the exhaust of our actions and I as I hit that sweet spot of his over and over, it did not take much longer before he tensed._

_The look on his face when he climaxed…._

_There was no other look that was more intoxicating and beautiful._

_I realized then, shortly before my own climax, that I never wanted anyone other than me to see that expression on his face._

_That was only reserved for me._

_And as I collapsed on him, spent, I held him tightly, telling him that he would be mine now and forever._

_And that no one would ever take him away from me._

* * *

The four just stared at the computer screen; expressing of shear and utter shock on their faces.

It took a moment to realize, but every one of them had tears streaming down their cheeks; mouths hanging open. Changmin’s bottom lip was shaking, as was Junsu’s. None of them were even blinking. They just stared at the end of the page, as if hoping to see a disclaimer that all the writing was fictitious.

“Oh…my god,” Yoochun stuttered, not speaking out to anyone in particular, other than the stunned reaction.

Yunho brought up his hand and slowly reached towards the monitor. His eyes were wide, as were the others. When he touched the screen, he released a yell and grabbed the monitor, shaking it.

“NO! NO! NO! NO!!” he was yelling at it, face red.

It took all four of the other members to tear him away from the screen and hold him for him to calm down. Others in the hotel were staring at them, watching what was going on, as hotel security began making their way over.

“JAEJOONG!” he began shouting over and over.

As he and the other three were starting to be escorted to the holding room by the security staff, they literally had to drag Yunho to the room, all the while, the older member shouting for them to let him go – that they had to find ‘him’. The others had their heads down, their reactions only differing because they were not verbalizing. Junsu had put his arm back over Changmin’s shoulder as the youngest member rubbed at his eyes as liquid seeped from them. Yoochun was aiding with Yunho, who finally calmed down somewhat before they had reached the holding room.

Their fears had been realized.

 Now, they could only hope that they would find their missing member before this nightmare became deeper.


	8. The Third Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

The group sat in the holding room in the back of the hotel. It looked very much like the holding area in a shopping mall; the same white tile and walls with chairs pressed up against the wall and a desk towards the back. A computer sat on the desk, as well as photos of what appeared to be family members of the person sitting at the desk. Behind the chairs, where the boys’ were currently sitting, was a notice board that had posters of wanted and missing people. Of course, none of the members were paying any attention to their surroundings, other than the official who sat at the desk, watching them closely.

Otherwise, their positions had not changed much. Junsu was still holding Changmin, though the younger member was now laying his head on Junsu’s chest, his eyes red, but for the most part he had calmed down, his eyes staring blankly at Junsu’s arm; and Yoochun had his arm back around Yunho’s shoulders. Yoochun glanced up at the hotel official to see them staring at Yunho, giving him almost a cold look for starting such a commotion; and nearly breaking hotel property – the monitor. Yoochun sighed and shook his head, patting and rubbing Yunho’s back.

They were waiting for one of the official police officers to come back before they could leave the room.

Finally, they heard the door click and he and Junsu looked to see an officer and an investigator enter the room. The investigator was the same man who Yunho had been talking to earlier. The investigator sighed as he and the officer walked up to the desk, the hotel official standing as they did.

“So, what went on here?” the officer asked, looking in the direction of the group.

The hotel official cleared her throat. “Well, after having tried damaging hotel property, this one here,” she said as she pointed to Yunho, “decided to cause a tumult, distracting and bothering other hotel guests. Normally, not a big deal, but he managed to hit one of our staff when they were bringing him here.”

“That’s assault,” the officer spoke, eyeing Yunho who still had his head facing the floor, not looking up.

“Please, sir,” Junsu spoke up, getting his attention. “It’s not like he…meant to hurt somebody, but you have to understand…,” Junsu trailed off as his voice began to quiver and eyes started to sting.

“You’d be the same way,” Changmin finished, not even shifting in the slightest; his voice bland.

The officer scratched the back of his head while the investigator sighed and the hotel official shook her head. Suddenly, the investigator straightened up and walked in front of Yunho, staring down at the leader of Dong Bang Shin Ki.

“I told you not to interfere, did I not?” He waited for a reply, but received nothing in response. The other three members exchanged glances. “What if the person responsible was in that room? You could have just messed up this entire investigation to where we won’t find your friend.”

“As if you’re trying now!” Yunho suddenly shouted, jerking his head up and staring at the man. His eyes were still red and puffy, but other than that, there was no other trace. “If you were, you would have found him by now! And he wouldn’t have—!” Yunho stopped there and jerked his head to the side, clamping his eyes shut.

“We’re trying everything we can, but the host’s networking from a private connection – untraceable line.” He crossed his arms. “But with your stunts, whoever this person is could just up and leave.” They all looked up at him, giving him a curious glance. “Yeah. We have confirmation that he’s still in this building. No surveillance shows anyone fitting his description leaving.” Yunho looked back down, inhaling again. The investigator narrowed his eyes. “If you interfere any more in this investigation, I’ll throw you in jail myself,” he said sternly.

With that, he looked towards the officer and hotel official and nodded before taking leave back out the door. The hotel official sighed and shook her head. She looked up at the group.

“You’re dismissed,” he said calmly, the forcefulness gone from her voice. They just nodded and after another moment’s pause, they took to their feet. Yunho was the first out the door, followed by Yoochun and Changmin; but before Junsu left, the official called him back. “I’m sorry about your friend,” she said, sympathy blatant.

He only nodded. “Thanks.”

He shut the door behind him.  

When they exited the room, one of the other investigators, this one a younger female, pulled them off to the side, apologizing for her co-worker’s behaviour. She told the group to allow them, the investigators and forensics, to deal with the case and for the boys’ to take a rest. At this, Yunho just scoffed and left her presence. Junsu apologized for him and thanked the woman before he and the rest of the group went to catch up with Yunho.

They entered the hotel lobby from the café. The news that Jaejoong was still in the hotel was good news, but knowing what happened had them crushed. He was so close, yet no one knew where he was. This puzzle was driving everyone’s minds and they felt as though their heads would explode from the anxiety.

 “Rest? How can anyone expect to rest?” Yunho said in disbelief.

“Maybe she’s right, Yunho,” Yoochun said, looking up at Yunho who turned to look at him; face in mistrust. “I want to look for him as much as you do, Yunho, but the investigator told us to stay out.” Yunho just shook his head and looked back in front of him as the group stopped walking. “I know it seems like an impossible thing to do, but there isn’t anything we can do…not until someone has a lead.”

He knew that Yunho hated him for what he said and Yoochun did not blame him. He hated himself for the truth that was coming out of his mouth.

“Don’t you think I know that?” Yunho asked rhetorically as he looked to Yoochun. “Don’t you think I know that there’s absolutely nothing we can do?” His eyebrows furrowed upwards as his eyes started to burn again. “That we have to just sit by and let this happen? I feel like my chest is being carved out because I know. Thinking about him…,” he trailed off and looked at the floor. “About things being done that no one, especially Jaejoong, deserves….” He inhaled again and released it in a shaken breath. Junsu reached out his hand and rubbed Yunho’s upper arm. “If I could just take it back.”

Junsu brought his arms up and hugged him, the other two following. They stayed like that for a minute or two, staying close in a group hug before finally breaking apart. After cooling down a bit more, they left the lobby, heading to the elevators.

* * *

“No! Stop it!” Jaejoong shouted as he threw back his head and gripped the sheets with his hands, entwining his fingers in the linen. He gritted his teeth as he choked down another cry that tried to escape from his throat.

As he was thrust into again, he released another yell as tears stained his cheeks. A bruise lay on his right cheek and a handprint was showing through. What looked to be scratches ran down his sides. Fingernails dug into his thighs as his captor repeated his actions over and over. Blood was dripping down the insides of his thighs as his insides were becoming raw.

His captor just grabbed his jaw and forced his mouth down on the Dong Bang Shin Ki member’s, the other trying to pull his head away as he did so. When they broke apart, Jaejoong jerked his head off to the side, eyes clamped shut. He opened them to slits as he continued to shout out, looking at the corner of the room next to the bed.

He reached his hand out towards the corner.

“Yunho, please!” he shouted out as he tried to stretch his arm out. “Make it stop! Please!”

His face was struck with the palm of his captor. “Don’t you cry out for him!” He leaned down and kissed the side of Jaejoong’s mouth. “He hates you,” he whispered to Jaejoong’s ear as he looked towards the corner of the room through his peripheral vision. “Look at him, staring at you in disgust.” He slammed into Jaejoong again and Jaejoong just continued to look at the corner, eyes shimmering.

“Why, Yunho?” he asked as he let his arm drop, continuing to stare at the corner, a hurt and betrayed look on his face. “I’m sorry! Just please…make it stop….” He clamped his eyes shut and turned away.

* * *

“ _Please_.”

Yunho’s eyes shot open to look at the bedroom ceiling. He sat up and stared down at the covers in front of him in the dark, almost black, room. He felt something on his face and when he went to wipe it away, he realized that he had been crying in his sleep. The dream had been so vivid it could have been mistaken for reality. So real, in fact, that it had Yunho literally shaking. He looked around the dark room, trying to remember where he was and how he fell asleep. He swallowed hard and wiped his face again. He did not even remember how he managed to fall asleep; with everything that had gone on?

They had returned back to the suite, almost in silence. He remembered saying that he just wanted to be left alone for a bit and that was when he laid down on the couch in the quaint living room. The others left to walk into one of the bedrooms, closing the door behind them. He must have fallen asleep.

Apparently, when someone finally came out of the room and realized he had fallen asleep, they turned off the lights.

He sighed and pushed the covers off of him. He assumed that the covers were the handiwork of the others, as well. He could see that there were no lights on coming under the bedroom door and he began wondering what time it was. He brought his legs over the side of the couch and rubbed the back of his head before standing up. He felt almost nauseous when he did; the stress from the evening trying to come back up another route.

He walked across the living room and turned towards the closed bedroom door. He shook his head before grabbed the handle and twisting, slowing pushing the door open.

He did not know what he was expecting.

Originally, Jaejoong was sharing a room with Yoochun and Changmin with Junsu.

Was he expecting Jaejoong to be asleep in the bed opposite of Yoochun? Maybe that everything that had happened had been a dream?

He poked his head in the door to see a sleeping figure of Yoochun and the bed on the opposite side was empty. He felt the knot in his stomach tighten further.

Yoochun did not appear to be having a pleasant sleep, either. He had a pained expression on his face as he turned over, facing towards the wall, away from the leader. The door that led to the joint bedroom was closed, proving that Junsu and Changmin were asleep as well. He wondered how their night’s sleep was going.

He sighed and shut the door quietly.

He walked to the middle of the living room and looked around. The time on the television’s cable box was showing three twenty-two in the morning. He realized, then, that his throat was dry; however, he did not want to risk drinking anything, afraid that the uneasiness in his stomach would just bring it back up again.

He felt the need to walk; go outside and get some fresh air and maybe see if there was anything new on Jaejoong’s situation. He was still completely dressed, so he walked to the table next to the sofa and grabbed a room key, not bothering to turn on any lights. Walking to the door, he pushed down on the handle and opened it, walking out.

The hallway was empty; of course, he expected it to be, but for some reason, it seemed strangely eerie. He made his way towards the elevators and pressed the button to take him down. He did not even have to wait – it dinged to alert him that it was already at the destination and the doors slid open. He stepped in and pressed the button to take him down the lobby.

As the contraption began its descent, Yunho leaned against the railing and exhaled. His minds continued to run through his dream, though it was more of a nightmare. He felt like he was still dreaming; as though every step he took was not real. He hoped he was still dreaming and that Jaejoong really was asleep in the room he shared with Yoochun; sleeping peacefully without a care in the world.

The thought made his throat tighten when he knew he was only lying to himself.

The elevator dinged as it reached the lobby, the doors sliding open. He pushed off the railing and stepped out.

“ _Yunho_.”

He turned around sharply when he heard his name almost whispered by his ear. There was no one there. He knitted his eyebrows together and shook his head. There were very few people in the lobby – of course, he did not expect anyone to be in the lobby other than attendants this late. He walked towards the entrance and when he stepped outside, he started to feel guilty. Guilty over the fact that he was able to just step outside at will while Jaejoong….

Yunho inhaled sharply when the thought ran through his head. He walked to the left of the hotel’s entrance door and leaned against the wall, breathing in the fresh air. He shut his eyes and hit the back of his head on the wall. The scenes from that dream kept flooding back into his head.

Jaejoong broken, lying beneath some unknown, blurry-faced figure, reaching out to him, crying for him to help him and…apologizing.

Why would he be apologizing? Even though it was his dream, it still did not make sense.

“Your eye’s open,” a voice said.

He opened his eyes to look at the speaker.

It was a woman. She had a brown bag under her arm as she approached him. He looked at her curiously.

“I’m sorry?” he asked, confused by what she said.

“Your third eye,” she said, bringing up her hand and touching the middle of Yunho’s forehead with her index finger. “When you share a strong connection with someone, you feel them where they are.” She cocked her head to the side slightly as she made a circular motion with her finger. “It’s wide. Been hearing voices, lately?” She brought her hand down and stared at him intently.

He advert his eyes towards the ground and shook his head. “No.”

There was silence between the two.

“Don’t let your guard down,” she said, causing Yunho to look at her, giving her an almost intense stare. “With a connection as strong as yours, it won’t take much.” He gave her a confused look, not quite understanding fully what she was saying. She smiled and took a step back. “The moon’s full tonight,” she spoke as she glanced up at the sky. She brought her attention back to the male. “Good luck,” she said before she turned and walked away from him.

He stared after her and brought up his hand, rubbing the center of his forehead. He could not help but glance up at the sky – the blank night sky. With the lights from the city, there were no visible stars, only the moon that was hanging high. He brought his attention back to where the woman had disappeared down the sidewalk - the strange woman with her brown paper bag and odd speech.

He brought his hand down and pushed off the wall, heading back inside. An attendant greeted him when he reentered the hotel and he nodded as he passed her. He looked around the room, which, for the most part, was vacant. He looked down the hallway that led to the Dining Hall and after inhaling, he began walking in that direction. He passed the elevators and another attendant’s desk; the desk looked to be off duty – the same desk that they had to pass to go to the restrooms. He turned to his right after passing it and walked to the Hall.

Only one of the double doors was open and the room was dimly lit – a complete contrast to how it had been before. The chairs had been turned upside down onto the cleared tables and he looked across the room to see the table they had all been sitting at that evening.

There they had been talking and laughing, talking about things of no importance. Where Junsu and Yoochun were arguing playfully and Yunho was poking fun at Jaejoong. Changmin had been reading the menu over and over, trying to make a decision. The last time he had seen the absent member….

He was picturing everything: the room being filled to capacity, the Wedding Party taking up almost the entire right side of the lower floor, laughing and having fun; other tables with groups and couples, having a nice time; their own table. It was as though he was watching a movie as he recalled it all. And how Jaejoong stood up, leaving the table to go the restroom. With the visions playing in his head, it was as though he was seeing holograms of the people walking around. He saw Jaejoong walking towards him, annoyance on his face as he began to exit the room.

“ _Ass_ ,” the premonition said as it passed through him.

Yunho shook his head. It was as though he heard what Jaejoong had said as he left the room, but that was impossible. He shook his head again and arched his head back to stare down the hallway that lead the restrooms. He began walking towards them. He turned to his left and pushed the door to the male restroom open. Whatever the investigators and forensics had been taking care of was apparently finished. The scene was abandoned.

He stepped into the restroom, the rest of the lights turned on; obviously motion detecting. He walked towards the back stall. He looked behind the leg and everything was gone – Jaejoong’s cellphone had already been taken for evidence and the blood was cleaned up after they took enough for DNA sampling. Yunho was hoping that the test would come back as a match to someone – anyone.

“ _Stop it! Let me go!_ ”

He suddenly saw Jaejoong fighting back and forth with a blurry-faced figure, the same figure from his dream, his words echoing in his head.

“ _Stop fighting me!_ ” the figure shouted back.

Yunho shook his head roughly and the voices and figures vanished.

He remembered hearing the captor’s voice over the phone and recognizing it. He cursed and brought up his hand, punching the stall. Why could he not put a face to the voice? If he could, he would know who this person was. Why was his mind not allowing him to focus on it? He was able to see the person’s entire build, except for their face.

He cursed again and pushed back off the stall, his back hitting the wall behind him. He clenched his eyes shut. _I’m sorry, Jaejoong_ , he thought as he saw an image of the other member in his mind. “I’m so sorry,” this time verbalized. He slid down the wall as the emotions from earlier began stirring up again.

“ _Yunho_.”

“Jaejoong….”


	9. Searching (the way)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

Yunho stood outside the door to the suite, his hands in his pockets and his head down, staring at the floor as his mind raced. Somewhere in the hotel was Jaejoong. Not only did they know it from fact of what the investigator said, but somehow it was as though Yunho was sensing the other’s presence. Was their connection truly that strong? He questioned about the woman from earlier; it was so random and it was impossible for her to have known anything. They were keeping the investigation quiet to the public. She never specified anything, which left Yunho to question her prerogative.

He sighed and took out the room key, slipping it into the door slot, and then slowly pulling it out. The light flashed green and he pushed down on the handle, opening the door and allowing himself access. He shut the door and walked to the table by the couch, setting the room key on it. When he went to sit back down, he jumped when he realized someone was already sitting on it in the dark.

Yoochun looked up at him, Yunho’s cellphone in his hands; the screen was still lit, proving that whatever Yoochun was doing, he had just finished.

“Hyung…,” he trailed off, looking back down at the phone. Yunho looked at it as well and saw ‘voicemail’ in bold above the blinking end time. He shook his head and sat down next to Yoochun, taking his eyes away from the phone. Yoochun turned his head to look at their leader. “Jaejoong hyung is….” He bit his bottom lip and paused. “If he’s still in the hotel, why aren’t they looking for him?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed upwards, voice hardly above a whisper.

Yunho shook his head again. “I don’t know.”

They sat in silence for what seemed to be ages, not knowing what to say; if there even was anything to say. The backlight went off on Yunho’s phone, drenching them in darkness; the only light was the light coming in from the window – the city lights.

“Where did you go?” Yoochun asked, voice monotone.

Yunho only shrugged. “Can’t sleep.”

Yoochun nodded. “Me either.” He paused for a moment. “I kept…having this weird dream,” Yoochun continued as he stared down at the blank phone. Yunho looked at him and Yoochun released a slight, forced laugh. “It was more of nightmare.” He turned to look at Yunho, only seeing his outline. “It was Jaejoong….” He stopped there and turned his head back to stare at the phone in his hands.

Yunho knitted his eyebrows together, giving Yoochun a curious glance. Was it possible that they both had the same dream? He wanted to ask – to see if that was the case, but he was not sure how to bring it out. He looked at the wall across the room.

“What about?” he asked; the knot tightened in his stomach.

What if they had shared the same dream? What did that mean?

Yoochun tensed. Yunho heard him inhale sharply, sniffing as he did so. Whatever Yoochun had dreamed about was just as bad and the older of the two was wondering if he should have asked. He brought his head down, staring at the floor.

“Hyung was…,” Yoochun started and Yunho looked up at him. Yoochun was still staring at the phone as he was recalling the dream. “…crying.” Yunho noticed that Yoochun’s bottom lip was starting to shake. “Beneath…someone.” He brought up his hand and wiped his cheek as a tear strolled down as he shook his head. “I couldn’t tell who.” He sniffed and brought his hand back down. “It was…like I was watching it and there was nothing I could do,” he went on as a few more drops slipped from his ducts. He wiped them away again with the sleeve of his shirt. “I was standing in a corner of the room and…hyung kept reaching for me.” He inhaled sharply as his voice began shaking. “But…he was calling,” at this, Yoochun shook his head, holding his head with his hand. “Not for me, though.” He looked up at Yunho. “He was calling for you.” Yunho stared back at him, unblinking. “In my dream I was you.”

They just stared back at each other; Yunho’s face was almost in a state of shock.

So they did have the same dream. The same horrific nightmare.

“You had it too, didn’t you?” Yoochun asked; Yunho looked away from him, staring back at the floor. He nodded his head slightly. “What does that mean?” he asked, not bothering to wipe at his eyes anymore.

Yunho shook his head. “I don’t know.”

* * *

Morning came and part of the group was moving silently around the suite. Apparently Junsu and Changmin were not able to sleep, either. They ended up walking into the Living Room at about four when they heard voices talking. They kept talking and discussing, the worry clearly in all of their tones. It was around six in the morning before anyone had fallen asleep; Changmin was the first to go down. He, Junsu and Yoochun had been sitting on the couch and Changmin ended up falling asleep on Junsu’s lap. Yoochun was the second one to pass out; he fell asleep sitting up with his legs crossed and his arms across his chest.

Junsu and Yunho stayed up for another hour, talking. Junsu did not even move, not wanting to wake Changmin who, in turn, would have woken up Yoochun; mainly because Changmin ended up stretching out while he was asleep and had one leg under Yoochun and his other leg crossing Yoochun’s lap. Junsu, too, fell asleep sitting up, his hand on Changmin’s head and his head falling off to the side. Yunho was up until eight-thirty. The sun was already rising when he finally sat on the floor, leaning the back of his head on the couch and drifting off.

Yoochun was the first up and when he moved to get up he ended up waking Changmin who was groaning when his leg fell off the couch. He lifted his head up, looking through the slits of his eyes at Yoochun who was rubbing his eyes as he walked to the restroom. Light was flooding into the room and hitting the youngest member in the face, so he ended up getting up as well. Barely coherent, he moved towards his own room to grab the day’s wear. He traded places with Yoochun and shut the bathroom door, turning on the shower.

The commotion, however, ended up waking Junsu who rubbed sleepily at his eyes and was clueless to why he was on the couch. He looked to his left and saw Yunho still asleep and that was when he remembered. He stood up and silently made his way to the bedrooms where Yoochun was.

Junsu was in the shower by the time Yunho finally awoke. His neck was sore from how he had been sleeping and when he got up, he rubbed the back of his neck and headed toward the restroom. When he heard the shower running, he sighed and turned into the first bedroom where Yoochun had just finished putting on clean clothes. The door to the other bedroom was closed.

“You’re awake?” Yoochun asked rhetorically.

“Yeah…why didn’t somebody wake me up?” he asked, bringing his hand to his side.

Yoochun shrugged and straightened out the sleeves on his blue striped shirt. “We…didn’t want to wake you.” There was an awkward silence between them. Changmin exiting the other bedroom was what broke the silence. The cuffs on his black jeans were flipped up and he bent down to fix them. Yunho was looking at him; Yoochun continued. “We were…going to head downstairs and see if there’s anything…new.” He looked down at the floor when he finished the sentence and turned away from Yunho, exiting the room.

Changmin stood straight and bit his bottom lip as he glanced at Yunho.

“Hyung…morning.”

Yunho only nodded. He watched Changmin shake his head. “Are you doing all right?” He watched as Changmin nodded and gave him a forced smile.

“Yeah….”

On that note, Yunho glanced down at the floor before following after Yoochun, leaving behind an awkward-feeling Changmin.

Not much longer after that, Junsu was out of the bathroom and they ended up heading down to the lobby. There was not much to talk about; they were all thinking of the same thing and hoping that there would be some good news once they arrived downstairs. However, when they did finally walk into the lobby, they saw their manager talking to a group of police and nodding his head, saying something out of earshot.

As the officers strolled away from him, the group approached him with curious looks.

“What’s going on?” Junsu asked, watching the officers disappear down a hallway.

Their manager sighed and shook his head before bringing his attention to the group. “They’re trying to get a search warrant to search the premises.”

They exchanged glances and Yunho raised a brow. “What do you mean ‘trying’? How difficult can it be?” he asked, an annoyed expression toying with his features.

“Very, actually.” He scratched the back of his head, trying to explain the situation. By the expressions on everyone’s faces, he knew that whatever he said and however he said it was not going to go well. He cleared his throat. “To search, they’ll be invading everyone’s privacy. Checking every room…I don’t know how long this is going to take….”

He watched as everyone’s expressions changed to looks of dejection and concern. No one knew how long it would take and that was tearing everyone’s emotions in two. Never knowing what to expect; if they could expect anything good; being forced to live this nightmare. It had not even been a full twenty four hours since Jaejoong had gone missing, but to the group, it seemed like days – weeks, even. The knowledge of what was happening to their missing member was not assisting the manner in any aspect.

Yunho just shook his head. “Why’s it have to take so long?” he muttered under his breath before turning on his heel and walking away.

Their manager sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He looked up at the disheartened faces of the members and shook his head. “Everyone, just…let them do their jobs, okay?” He watched as everyone nodded. He sighed again before leaving them.

They did not move for a moment; that was until Changmin looked around.

“Hey, where’d Yunho hyung go?” he asked, glanced around the lobby. The other two began scanning the room as well, but did not see him. They exchanged glances before looking around for him.

He was no longer in the room, so the trio went to find him. At first, they wondered if he had gone back to the suite, but figured that was unlikely, whereas Yoochun and Changmin were the ones with the room keys. They wandered into the Dining Hall where breakfast was being served and gazed around the room, still not seeing him. Sighing, they went to the café to see if perhaps he had wandered to there. They passed by multiple groups of people. A couple by the door was saying goodbye to each other; they kissed each other goodbye before the woman left the hotel, dragging her suitcase behind her and to a taxi that waited out front.

They entered a full café; people sitting at tables, chatting about random nonsense. The couches were full as well; coffee cups sat on the end table. They were just about to leave the room when Junsu spotted Yunho sitting at a table near a window; he had his elbows set on the table and his hands over his head, looking down at the table. They made their way through the crowd towards the leader.

He did not even look up at them as they sat around him. They were silent before anyone said anything aloud.

“Hyung,” Junsu started. “They’re trying everything they can,” he spoke, trying to be hopeful, but the doubt was quite obvious. To everyone, it felt as though the authorities were not trying everything they could. He shook his head. “You heard them,” he said, almost in a protesting manner. “He’s still in this building.”

Hit bit his bottom lip when Yunho did not reply right away. Yunho inhaled and brought his hands down, setting them in front of him on the table.

“I know that.” The others looked up at him, quizzical looks playing with their features. “But I want to find the bastard that’s doing this.” He shook his head. “‘Cause when I do, I’m going to kill him.” He shut his eyes and pulled his head back down. Junsu reached out and put his hand on Yunho’s shoulder.

They stayed quiet – the rest of the group was having mutual feelings. The noise in the café bustled around them. They overheard one man on his cellphone who was complaining about his stocks dropping and a couple sitting at the table behind them talking about going back home in a few days. The married couple from last night’s Wedding Party was sitting at a table that was a few tables away. They had content looks on their faces as they sipped on coffee while holding hands on the surface of the table with their free hands.

Suddenly, Changmin pushed back his chair and stood up. Junsu and Yoochun turned their heads to look at him.

“I’m going to check my email,” he said sternly.

Junsu looked down at the table and Yoochun shook his head. “But they told us not to—”

“I don’t care!” Changmin interrupted, not allowing Yoochun to finish his sentence. “I want to know…,” he trailed off, shaking his head slightly as he looked at the corner of the table, avoiding Yoochun’s eyes. “Maybe…,” he looked up at him again. “Maybe there’s something that will tell us something…anything to give us a hint.” He took a step back. “They can’t even trace the server. Meaning, to them, the posts are practically worthless other than to tell us what’s happening. And I don’t know about you guys, but why do the people who don’t personally care about him get to know and we don’t?”

After he made his point, he saw Yoochun and Junsu slightly nod; but Yunho did nothing. He just kept his head down, staring at the table in a trancelike state. Changmin sighed.

“I’m going to see if one of the computers is free.”

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away from the trio, disappearing in the crowd of people.


	10. Violation of Regards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

Yoochun sighed and Junsu bit his bottom lip, moving his eyes around the room. He looked at Yoochun who shook his head before pushing his hair back with his hand. They both brought their gazes to Yunho who still seemed out of it; his eyes were almost blank as they stared at the table, not focusing. They could assume what was going through his mind. The excited chatter around them was not helping the situation any; if anything, it was making them feel worse.

Junsu looked up at Yoochun who put his hands on the table and pushed back his chair. He stood up, hands still on the table.

“I’m going…to go check, too,” he said, referring to Changmin. He began walking away from the table, but not before glancing back again. He shook his head and vanished into the crowd, though that same crowd was starting to thin out a bit.

When he made his way through the crowd, Changmin had just sat down at one of the computers. Yoochun rubbed the back of his head before approaching him; Changmin bent his neck back when he saw the older member from the corner of his eye. He shook his head somewhat.

“Yunho and Junsu?” he asked, voice curious.

Yoochun only shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

Changmin nodded before bringing his attention to the monitor in front of him. He grabbed the mouse and opened the internet, typing in the site, taking him to login to his account. He hesitated before he began typing. Yoochun glanced over his shoulder to see if either of the other two members was walking over, but he did not see them. People were standing around to where he could not see the area they had just been. When he brought his attention back, Changmin was already in his inbox. He hovered the mouse over the link, questioning whether or not to open it.

There was one new message from the same person. It had been sent late last night. A lump formed in his throat and he just let the mouse hover over the link. He bit on his bottom lip and Yoochun put his hand on the younger male’s shoulder. However, before he clicked, two others approached them.

He and Yoochun glanced back over their shoulders to see Junsu and Yunho walk up behind them. Yunho still seemed pretty out of it, his mind not completely focusing on what was going on around him. When he saw the new message in its bold font on the monitor, he looked almost angry and remorseful.

“Are we going to read it or what?” Yunho asked, voice monotone.

There was no response other than a nod from the youngest. Inhaling, he clicked on the link. The page popped up on the screen.

* * *

_I knew that the night would be simple bliss; with the moon hanging high overhead and falling into the room, through the curtains it bathed my sweet angel in a silver glow. Glistening from his radiant complexion, it only made me love him more._

_He was sleeping peacefully; our earlier actions putting him in an exhausted state. His chest moved up and down so slightly with each inhale and exhale. I did not even want to chance waking the angelic beauty; so I did not. I just watched him from the chair near the window._

_Somewhere in his sleep, he seemed to be having trouble. I saw his face tense as he pulled off to the side, tugging at the binds around his wrists. He did that for quite a while and I did nothing. I found it intriguing._

_That was until…._

_When that name came from his throat, I decided his rest was completed. Though there probably would have been an easier way to wake him, my fury at the time was inconsolable._

_I pulled the covers from concealing his lower half and the red handprint on his cheek ended up jerking his rest short. Those wide eyes of his when they stared at me…my reaction was only natural._

_He struggled under me when I clashed our mouths together again, but when he bit my tongue, I pulled back, grabbing a handful of his hair, yelling at him for allowing someone else’s name to come from his lips._

_I didn’t want to, but he made me hit him._

_He made me hit him when he said another’s name._

_He kept apologizing over and over and even though I knew he was sincere, my anger would not halt. I did not even realize I had my hands around his throat until I saw blood trailing down his face. The bright crimson made me stop my actions and when I let go, he started coughing. I looked at the back of my hand and saw the red liquid and noticed the blood dripping from his nose._

_I felt guilty for harming that beautiful face, but he brought it upon himself. I said that to him and he apologized again. I felt a pang in my chest when I saw that he was crying again. Those tears…though perhaps not suited to a face as pretty as his, were astonishing. As if they heightened his beauty rather than suppressed it._

_I bit back on my lip before leaning back down, grasping his face and meeting our lips for a second time._

_Some of the blood seeped in and I found it to taste…sweet._

_Not coppery or bitter as I originally thought, but it had a different flavor to it._

_It wasn’t the usual taste, though. I realized that it was only he who had such rich tasting liquid pouring from his body._

_I’m not sure how long we held that intoxicating kiss, but when we broke apart, his nose had finally stopped bleeding. I pulled back, sitting on my heels, wiping at my mouth; wiping away the traces of blood from my own face. He, however, still had the crimson liquid smeared across his face; and he was still beautiful._

_I left his presence only to dampen a cloth to clear away the tainted substance. As I sat back down on the edge of the bed and began wiping his face, he continued to look at me with those gorgeous eyes of his. That almost childlike fearful look._

_Why do you look at me like that, love?_

_He said something to me, then. He asked me to let him go…that he would not tell anyone._

_I only laughed. I wanted people to know. Why else would I allow the world to read it?_

_I leaned down to kiss him again; the taste of his blood was gone. That sweet tasting liquid. That fueled a new passion in me; a passion that had to be tested._

_I wondered whether he would approve or not, but decided that if I liked it, he would as well._

_When I left his side again, he dropped his head onto the pillow and clamped his eyes shut, turning his head away from me._

_I walked over to my suitcase and I knew I had it – I always carried it with me. Rummaging around, I finally found it. I remembered buying it years ago: my switchblade._

_I never really used it for anything, but I always enjoyed carrying it around._

_I felt his eyes on me when I unlatched the blade. He was giving me that look again with those fearful eyes, but I promised him that I would not do anything to harm him, ignoring my little outburst from earlier._

_Oh, the expression on his face when I approached him…._

_One could not even imagine the beauty it held. I can’t even describe the look. Words alone would not do it justice._

_I leaned down to kiss his abdomen, allowing my lips to lightly brush against the skin. I traced the side of the blade down his core, allowing him to feel the cold steel that I held in my hand. I heard his breath hitch in his throat as I ran it over his chest, across his nipple, and then up along his neck, stopping just below his jaw._

_He had gone back to closing his eyes, releasing his breath in a shallow exhale. I told him not to worry, that I had no intentions of harming his beautiful face; but still that expression played with his features._

_But I just wanted to try it._

_One little slit right above the chest…no larger than a paper cut._

_He jerked, but the reaction was typical, so I did not worry._

_I allowed my lips to trace over the small cut, taking what little liquid there was and he cringed._

_I say it quite a bit, but I don’t lie._

_Everyone move he makes, every breath he breathes is simple magnificence. I wanted to see that expression again, so I made just another slight cut not too far from the first one._

_That face…._

_Oh…I didn’t want that look to fade._

_I wanted to see that look again and again._

_Over and over._

_It was like a tamed dog tasting blood for the first time._

_I didn’t even know how long it went on – somewhere I think I lost a bit of my sanity. I couldn’t even count the amount of paper cut-like incisions that were littering his abdomen. But oh, was he beautiful._

_The light from the lamps were reflecting off, giving it a shimmering glow and I felt my emotions flare up again. I wanted him…under me._

_Screaming._

_Moaning._

_Crying._

_The thought of it was sending my mind into overdrive._

_So I took him again. Feeling every section. I wanted to try something new...and as sadistic as it may sound, I used his own blood to prepare him and myself._

_One simple thrust and I was buried within him._

_Thrusting over and over._

_With each time, his voice was ringing soundly in my ears. My passion was fueled just with that. I kissed him again and he tried pulling away. That would not suffice, so I grabbed his hair as I pressed our mouths harder together. I let my hand trace downwards and grabbed his own; I felt it unfair for myself to feel all the pleasure and give him none. We broke apart and even though he was begging me to stop both of what I was doing, I told him to let loose and let me see that beautiful expression of his when he would climax._

_Not much longer, I felt him tense, but he was still saying no. If he wanted it, I would abide, so I held him back._

_Moans seeped from his throat, then. I let him know that if he wanted to, he would have to beg for it. He called me something, then. I just laughed at his adorable attempts._

_He was so cute._

_I knew that if I held him back long enough, he would do what I told him. The human body can only handle so much before its holder gives in._

_He started crying hysterically before finally pleading for me to let him release. Seeing him like that, I couldn’t help but toy with his emotions. I had him beg before I finally allowed him to._

_That look fueled me and I’ll admit. I was a little rougher than I intended to be. I didn’t even allow him to breathe until I, myself, came._

_That night…we fell asleep and I was able to hold my beautiful angel in my arms, whispering to him that we would always be together. I knew by his silence that he felt the same for me as I did for him._

_Our first night together…._

_The first of many to come._

* * *

When he finished, Yoochun could not understand why his hand had gone numb. They were staring at the computer screen, much like they had before; their expressions dumbstruck. With the hand that still had feeling, he brought it up to wipe at his face; the tears that had vanished earlier that morning when they were all up and chatting had finally returned. He shifted glanced down at his numb hand and realized that Changmin had grabbed a hold of it, squeezing so tight that his knuckles were white.

Changmin’s reaction was much the same. His eyes were red and puffy, but his reaction seemed to have been much stronger this time than before. It was understandable. Not only was one of their members kidnapped by some rapist, that person was psychotic.

Yoochun went to look at the other two members, but realized they were gone. He looked around for them. It was as though Yunho and Junsu had just vanished. He felt his hand become free as Changmin went to wipe at his own face; Yoochun looked around the café; the room was still full and he could not spot the other two absent members amongst them.

“Why, hyung?”

Yoochun turned at looked down at Changmin who was leaning on the desk with his elbows, wiping at his eyes. He inhaled sharply, releasing it in a broken cry. The older of the two brought his arm around Changmin’s shoulders and pulled him into a hug.

“Why Jaejoong?” Changmin asked, his voice somewhat muffled by the fabric of Yoochun’s shirt. “Why does he have to go through everything and go through it alone?” He inhaled again, bringing up his hands and gripping the front of the other’s shirt. “It’s not fair….”

Yoochun could only nod as he embraced the youngest member. “I know…,” he said quietly, rubbing the other’s back. He glanced around the room again for the Junsu and Yunho.

Where had they gone?

He glanced at the monitor; the blog was still on the screen and he reached his arm around Changmin to exit the page. With everyone else in the room, someone else could have just glanced over to see what they were reading. That was something no one needed at the moment. The click returned the page to Changmin’s inbox where a new post was unread; the font bold.

He ran his hand through Changmin’s hair as the other sniffed again. Finally, after a few minutes, Changmin pulled back, rubbing at his eyes with the palm of his hand. He inhaled deeply before exhaling in one, long stringed breath. He looked around.

“Hey…where’s Junsu and Yunho hyung?”

Yoochun just shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t even see them leave.”

They exchanged curious glances before Changmin brought his attention back to the computer monitor. Seeing the unread message, he looked down at the mouse, and then back to the screen. He wanted to read it, to see what other horrors were to be expected; but at the same time, he wanted to refrain, terrified of what might be read.

He looked up at Yoochun to see that the other was just as curious as he was; the same expression on his features. At the same time, they wanted to find out where the other two members had traveled off to, but if they left the post, chances were that they would not be able to check for a while; what with the café so busy.

After a silent agreement, Yoochun just nodded his head slightly and Changmin released a breath, turning back to face the screen. He grabbed hold of the mouse and clicked on the link.

When the post popped up, it was relatively short. Only a few paragraphs.

* * *

_I awoke as I had fallen a sleep; with my beautiful angel in my arms. His eyes were still closed and the residue from last night had dried. I decided that would be my top priority; taking care of him to keep that skin radiant. After heading to the restroom with the same cloth used last night, I washed it off before taking to my angel._

_He did not even move in the slightest. The small slits from the blade, which had fallen to the floor, were all that were left as evidence. I rinsed the cloth out before returning back and staring at that angelic beauty that lay on the bed. I gently stroked his cheek as he slept, before kissing his forehead and telling him I would soon return. He just lay there, breathing softly._

_I did not want to leave him behind, but I knew that when he awoke, he would want something to eat. Even as I write, I can’t help but look over my shoulder at the sleeping beauty. The growling in my own stomach was pushing me to hurry, so I end this where it is._

_I don’t want my angel to starve, after all. Though, I do wonder what all he would like to eat. There would be selections, that I was sure. I suppose I’ll head down to the café and browse, seeing as though what he might like._

_Don’t worry, my angel. I will return shortly. ♥_

* * *

Yoochun and Changmin cocked their heads at the screen. Changmin suddenly jerked his head towards the older member.

“Hyung…this was written this morning,” he said, meaning the date and time the message was sent at the top of the screen.

Yoochun leaned in closer to see the time. It had been sent less than five minutes ago. The two looked at each other and Changmin’s eyes were wide, his eyebrows upwards. Yoochun’s mouth was open slightly.

“That means…whoever sent this is in here….”

They both turned and began scanning the café.


	11. Café Haven?

“It’s sick. And I want to do something, but I can’t.”

“Hyung, we all want to do something. But what can we do? They told us to stay out….”

“I know that, but it’s like they don’t give a damn!”

Junsu was sitting next to Yunho on a couch in the lobby. While in the middle of the post, Yunho had left again, exiting the café, wanting to get away from the commotion; noticing that he was leaving, Junsu abandoned the other two and went to follow after him. By this point, Junsu was not sure if reading the posts was a good thing…at least not for Yunho. Every time they read anything, it was as though their leader was about to be driven to insanity. Though it was painful to read, it let the others know what was happening; perhaps running their minds wild, at least knowing he was still in the building was a little bit of comfort.

If the posts stopped…then they would worry even more.

It hit them all close to home, but the question was why was it having a violent effect on Yunho? Junsu sighed as he hugged the older member. Could the reason it was affecting Yunho so much was because the leader truly did blame himself and considered everything that was happening to be his fault? Or could the reason be deeper than that?

The thoughts on it were not important and Junsu shook his head, trying to do the best he could at comforting the other. He and Yoochun shared the same feeling; the way their leader was broken was disheartening; almost to the point it made him nauseous.

People in the lobby came to and from, not paying any attention to them. A police officer walked by with someone who looked like an intern. He gave a curious glance to the two, recognizing them, but continued to walk passed them to the café. Not much longer after they had passed by, a group of three others walked by. Junsu recognized them as the female and male investigator from last night, as well as the officer they had met in the holding area in the back of the hotel. He furrowed his brows together, curious as to what was going on.

Yunho apparently noticed, too, whereas he pulled away from Junsu and craned his neck around the corner, trying to see where they were headed. The two glanced at each other before standing up and treading after. They stopped right outside the café, standing by a wall as they overhead an officer on a headset.

“Here? What exactly are we looking for?” he asked, keeping his voice somewhat quiet; the two Dong Bang Shin Ki members were just close enough to hear. “No visual?” The officer scoffed. “Well this is going to go well.” After the sentence, he disappeared into a crowd of people.

With curious looks and minds, Junsu and Yunho walked completely into the café. Everyone from before was still there, give or take a few people. The newly weds from the Wedding Party had moved from the table for two to the couches. They were laughing about something unknown. They noticed a few more Wedding Party members that apparently had reservations at the hotel as well. They saw the attendant they were questioning about Jaejoong last night and their waitress from dinner. She was chatting to another employee who was looking as one of the investigators passed by her. The man they had been chatting to in the elevator last night was standing in a long line of people for coffee as a duo of officers cut passed him through the line.

Junsu pointed when he spotted Changmin and Yoochun near the table they were at earlier. He and Yunho cut their way through the crowd of people, trying to make their way over. When Changmin saw them coming their way, he tapped Yoochun on the shoulder and pointed towards them. The four met up in the middle.

“What’s going on?” Junsu asked as he looked around the room, meaning the commotion of officers and investigators.

“He’s here,” Changmin said quickly.

Both Yunho and Junsu jerked their attention to him.

“‘He’? ‘He’ who?” Junsu asked, eyes open wide.

“The blogger,” Yoochun answered before Changmin could get his word in.

“Where?” Yunho asked, his voice almost forceful.

Yoochun shook his head and Changmin shrugged. “We don’t know!” Changmin cut in. “No one knows what he looks like!”

Yunho scoffed. “Well that’s helpful!”

Apparently, that was what the officer he and Junsu overheard was talking about. He and Yunho had the same reaction. If they did not have any visual aid to go by, what were they supposed to be looking for? They could not very well profile everyone in the room.

Yunho cursed loudly.

Even with the perpetrator so close, they had nothing to go on and could not do anything. With him being so near, it was more frustrating than comforting. Just who were they supposed to be looking for?

Regretfully, no one turned up. The investigators and police were still trying to be inconspicuous – still trying to keep everything hidden under the bush. Besides that, there were too many people to even scan by one by one. People kept entering and exiting at a consistent rate making it even more difficult to get a hold on one person in particular. The members were told to wait in the lobby and not to enter the café until the supposed search was completed. While thoroughly annoyed, they did as they were told, waiting with beating hearts before they were finally told that no one was found.

The reaction was expected. Yunho released a strange shout, punching the couch, while Junsu practically jumped up, asking ‘why’. Changmin was sitting on the floor against the couch and buried his head in his arms as Yoochun set his elbows on his knees and covered his head with his hand, shutting his eyes.

The phrase “so close” came into his head.

The officer that told them the news apologized before leaving them. None of them knew how to react. Screaming, crying, yelling, shouting – those were the immediate emotions that wanted to be released. The café was almost empty and even the crowd in the lobby had dispersed before anyone said anything. The room had become relatively quiet, with the exception of bits of chatter amongst small groups of people and the occasional main door introducing more people.

“…so close. We were so close,” Changmin said, wiping his face with the back of his hand. “He was here…!” He inhaled sharply before going silent, returning back to hiding his face in his arms.

More people passed by them as they sat in the lobby for what seemed to be ages. A few passerbies could not help but glance in their direction, wondering why a group of four men were so solemn looking. However, they passed it off, not wanting to get involved.

At one point, Changmin took to his feet and said something about speaking to an investigator about something. Junsu decided to join him and they left the other two’s presence. It was another minute or so before either of them said anything.

“I’d recognize him….” Yoochun turned to look at Yunho who inhaled at that point. He pulled craned his neck back to stare up at the high ceiling; Yoochun giving him a curious look. “I’d recognize his voice…if I heard it,” Yunho reiterated, voice low.

Yoochun bit his bottom lip before bringing his attention in front of him. He looked back to Yunho, eyebrows furrowed upwards. “The voicemail?” he asked and the older member nodded.

He released a long string of breath as he brought his head back down and looked at Yoochun. “Did you…did that voice not sound familiar to you?”

Yoochun adverted his eyes, shifting them around, thinking before looking back to Yunho. “Sort of…but I can’t think of whom.”

At this Yunho nodded. So it was not just him.

“If I could just put a face to it….” He covered his face with his hand, replaying the voice over and over in his head.

Yoochun looked down at the floor, eyes trailing along the pattern on the carpet. Some one at the front desk was arguing with an attendant over a taxi they had asked them to call for them. The man’s voice was carrying over to the duo and Yoochun heard the man say obscenities to the young woman who was working at the counter. The woman was trying to calm him down and kept saying she would call security if the man did not stop. Seeing the commotion, an officer approached him, asking him to leave the young lady alone.

Yunho had looked to see what was going on and caught the man cursing one last time before pulling out his cellphone and grabbing his luggage, dialing a number as he left the hotel lobby and went outside.

“Maybe,” Yoochun started, receiving Yunho’s attention. Yoochun sighed and shook his head. “Maybe we should let Junsu and Changmin listen to the message,” he said as he watched Yunho’s jaw tense. “They might be able to.”

Seeming to give it thought, Yunho shook his head; this received a curious look from Yoochun, as though asking ‘why not’. “I don’t want to worry them anymore than they already are.” He looked to Yoochun who sighed, seeming to silently agree. “I didn’t even want you to hear it,” Yunho continued with a shrug; Yoochun nodded slightly, bringing his gaze back to the floor. Yunho rubbed at his eyes – his bloodshot eyes. “This shouldn’t even be happening. Jaejoong should be here with us; you all shouldn’t be worrying; we should all be having fun. Relaxing, talking about stupid things.” He did another sharp inhale as the emotions started flooding back.

Yoochun swallowed hard and shook his head. He looked back to Yunho who had gone back to hiding his face; his chest was moving heavily up and down. Yoochun brought his arms back around their leader and hugged him, rubbing his shoulder as he did. In less than an hour, their hopes had been driven high and then pulled back down just as quickly. The rollercoaster of emotions and actions, never knowing what to expect; and when they thought they were getting close, they ended up being even further away.

Footsteps approached the duo and Yoochun turned to see Changmin; his eyes were red and puffy, but other than that, nothing else remained. Junsu was not with him and that had Yoochun looked quizzically at him. Yunho pulled away, inhaling deeply before releasing it, wiping away any indication of his actions.

“There was another post,” Changmin said blandly, his mouth feeling dry. At the word ‘was’, Yoochun and Yunho’s expressions became curious. Changmin shook his head. “The uh…investigators won’t let me access my account anymore.” He sniffed and rubbed at his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. “They’re talking to Junsu about it, now.”

The other two exchanged glances before taking to their feet and following Changmin back to the café. When they entered, the room was nearly vacant. Only a few bodies were in the room. There was one person sitting in loveseat typing on their laptop and another person was doing the same as they sat on the couch. A man was sitting at a table by a window; a cup of coffee sat next to him as well as a half-eaten muffin as he was reading the daily paper. There was an older couple sitting near the counter, talking about random matter.

They saw Junsu standing with his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face as a pair of investigators walked away from him. The other three went up to him and Junsu turned to meet them.

“What’s going on?” Yoochun asked, watching as the two investigators walked away.

“They said that if they catch any of us reading another post that they’ll hold us for “interfering with the investigation”,” Junsu said in an annoyed tone, expression much the same.

Yunho knitted his eyebrows together, also irritated. “Can they even do that?”

“Apparently,” Changmin replied.

Yunho scoffed as Junsu shook his head, bringing his arms to his side. “They caught us just as we began reading a new one.” He glanced over his shoulder to see if the two investigators were still nearby. He saw them talking to an attendant who was working the counter at the café. He turned his attention back towards the group, keeping his voice low. “I printed out the post when they were talking to Changmin before we had to close and logout.” He shifted his eyes sideways towards the printer where freshly printed sheets of paper lay.

When the investigators passed back by them while leaving the café, one of them sent a look that looked almost threatening, showing that what they had told Junsu and Changmin was not a joke. When they were out of site, Yoochun looked at the café attendant who looked their direction before turning to tell another worker something. While they were doing that, he walked to the printer and quickly grabbed the printouts.

He rolled them up and hid them in his sleeve before the group turned and left the room.  


	12. Mentality

The door to Suite Three slammed shut, rattling picture frames on the walls inside the room. Yunho walked over to the couch, slamming his fist down on the cushion. It left an unsatisfied feeling when there was no noise or pain where it hit. He felt more satisfaction when he punched the wall in the elevator, though his hand was throbbing afterwards. Yoochun took the rolled up papers out of his sleeve and set them on the table next to the sofa; they needed to calm down before they read anything, not wanting it to stir up even stronger emotions – if that were even possible.

It was barely noon and already everything was going wrong. Last night seemed as though it happened ages ago. Changmin stood by the door, his hands as his sides as he stared at the floor with a blank stare, lost in thought. He did not even seem the slightest bit coherent. He stood much the same as Junsu and Yoochun, thinking that allowing Yunho to continually read the posts was not the greatest of all ideas. It was driving their leader almost to the brink of insanity and, in this case, perhaps the investigators were right.

Maybe they should not be reading the posts. They knew that the police and investigators were working on them; trying to trace the origin. The messages were not just sent to him – they were sent to hundreds of other e-mail addresses. As the rate it was going, he was almost positive that the messages were all across the internet by now; circling around as some form of fan-fiction. No one else but those involved would know it was true.

But something about knowing other people were reading it was unsettling. The fact that complete strangers were reading Jaejoong’s reality….

The thought was accompanied by other thoughts wondering what strangers reading it were thinking. By not knowing it was fact, were other people enjoying reading it? Or did they find it as a horrendous fiction, only continuing to see how it would end?

The thoughts were nauseating and he began wondering…how would it end? With everything going on like it was, was it possible to have a happy ending?

And by those standards, what would be considered a “happy ending”?

Changmin released a strange laugh, quiet and unheard by the others who were trying to comfort Yunho. Changmin’s mind was not even focusing on what was going on around him; a nearly hysterical Yunho who was cursing; Yoochun and Junsu trying to hold him back from hurting anything, most of all himself. With his mind still drifting in its confines, Changmin’s eyes drifted to the printout of papers, though not seeing them for what they were.

A happy ending….

Finding Jaejoong would be a happy ending.

Knowing he was all right.

Seeing him sane.

But even with the semblance of the supposed “happy ending”, the reverse was more vibrant – more likely. The fact that even when they found him, he would still be broken, probably on the borderline of insanity.

Physically and mentally abused.

He had heard of things happening to people and what the aftermath usually was. But it was always just that: Happening to other people. Never someone that he knew personally - especially not someone who might as well have been his brother. This was not supposed to happen to them or anyone they knew. This was something that one would see on the news or in a movie – perhaps even some sadomasochistic book. Even the reality of it all still seemed hazy, as though it was some twisted and warped dream that they would all awake from in a few hours.

This reality was unbearable.

Junsu arrested Yunho’s arm as the leader tried to hit the wall.

“Hyung, doing this isn’t going to help anything!” he cried out as Yunho jerked his arm from his grasp.

“I know that!” Yunho shouted back at him, face red. Junsu knitted his eyebrows together. “But I want to do something!” he continued, clamping his eyes shut as he jerked his head towards the floor. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing while Jaejoong’s in pain!” He cursed as he inhaled. “He needs me and I can’t even do anything!”

“Don’t you think we all feel that way?” Junsu retorted, eyes watering. “I wish we could just look for him ourselves and not give a damn about privacy! But they told us to stay out and maybe we should…,” he trailed off at the last sentence. He looked at the floor, a drop falling onto the carpet.

Yoochun looked at him before bringing his attention back to Yunho. “They’re going to find him, Yunho,” he spoke in a reassuring manner, his own eyes burning.

“When?!” Yunho almost shouted, jerking his head to look at the other member. “When he’s dead?!” His and Yoochun’s eyes met. “I can’t…do this,” he continued, voice shaking as he tore his gaze away and shook his head. He brought up his hand to rub at his eyes with his palm. “I can’t do this, Yoochun….” His chest began vibrating up and down. “I can’t do this without him.” He inhaled sharply, chest stinging as he did.

“Yunho….”

“I need him, Yoochun,” he said, bringing up his hand to hold his head. “I need him standing in front of me…smiling, telling me that everything’s okay and to stop worrying….” He inhaled sharply again.

Everything was becoming too much for them to handle. Junsu took a step back, allowing Yoochun to take over. He looked over his shoulder to Changmin only the younger member was no where to be seen. He glanced back to Yoochun and Yunho before silently ditching them to head towards the bedrooms. Still, there was no sign of Changmin. He walked back into the living area where Yunho was calming down, though still to the point of fury, and Yoochun who was cooling him down.

He rubbed the back of his neck before his eyes caught something.

The blog pages that Yoochun had set on the side table were gone.

* * *

Changmin sat in one of the chairs in the hallway near Suite One; his legs were brought up and his forehead was set upon his knees. The pages of the blog were being held in tightly in his hands, crinkling them; the words blending together. He sniffed, staring at the wrinkled pages, cursing them for everything they had caused. He regretted ever reading the first post and then regretted even more over the fact that he did not pick up on who the person was talking about until it was too late.

He clenched his eyes shut.

_I should have known_ , came into his head.

He opened his eyes again, staring blankly at the pages. The first sentence mentioned something about sleep and food, but as he contemplated reading it, a lump formed his throat and a knot in his stomach.

A door latching shut down the hall received his attention. He pulled his head up to look down the hallway towards their own suite. When he saw that it was Junsu, he stared back down at the papers in his lap. The older member approached him and stopped next to him, heaving a sigh. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Junsu was fiddling nervously with the ring on his left hand.

“Changmin?” Junsu asked curiously, head cocked to the side slightly. All Changmin did was shake his head. Junsu bit his bottom lip before crouching down, putting his hand on Changmin’s forearm and trying to peer into his face. The youngest member’s eyes were not red in any form and this had Junsu even more curious. “Are you okay?”

Changmin did not respond right away, but he did shake his head ‘no’. He sniffed again and gripped the papers in his hand with more force.

“I can’t let you guys read it,” he replied in a quiet voice.

“Changmin?” Junsu reiterated, not understanding.

Changmin shook his head again, setting his forehead back on his knees. “I can’t….” He paused. “Look at what it’s doing to Yunho.” At this, Junsu glanced down before biting his bottom lip once more and looked back up into Changmin’s face. “None of this would be happening if it wasn’t for me.”

“Changmin, how can you say that?” Junsu asked, eyebrows furrowed up words; his face confused. He heard the papers crinkle as Changmin’s grip intensified.

The youngest shut his eyes when he felt them start to sting. “I was the one who started reading it and,” he sniffed, “I should have seen the connection.” He turned to look at Junsu; their eyes connecting. “When we were talking about it at dinner last night and kept poking fun at Jaejoong about being paranoid…I should have realized that the posts were – were—!” He did not finish his sentence and pulled his gaze away, clamping his eyes shut as evidence began strolling down his face.

Junsu leaned forward and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him to where Changmin’s head was on his chest. Even with the papers in his grasp, Changmin brought his hands up to grab the sleeve of Junsu’s shirt; gripping and twisting the fabric. Junsu rubbed his shoulder while running his fingers through the younger male’s hair with his other hand.

“Hey,” Junsu started, not halting his actions. “None of this is your fault. You know that,” he said softly.

Changmin sniffed again. “Then why does it feel like it?”

Junsu shook his head and pulled back. He brought his hands up and held Changmin’s face, making it to where they were both peering into each other’s eyes. “Listen to me,” he said, watching as Changmin blinked; a few more stray drops seeped out. “You have no reason,” he started to drag out, “to carry any blame, okay?” Changmin’s eyes were shimmering back at him, almost with an innocent stare. “This is nobody’s fault and you need to understand that.” He tried to force a smile. It made it halfway. “Please don’t blame yourself, Changmin.”

“Hyung…,” Changmin trailed off as he brought up his freehand and held Junsu’s wrist.

Junsu leaned forward and kissed Changmin’s forehead before leaning back. “We’re going to find him and everything’s going to be fine,” he said, forcing his smile to look more like a smile. “I promise.”

They stayed looking at each other for a moment before Junsu leaned forward again and embraced the younger member. Even with his mature and serious side, Changmin was still the youngest member and even though he rarely acted like it, he still was innocent in so many ways. Perhaps it was Changmin who should be avoiding reading the posts – him and Yunho both.

Not much longer after that thought crossed his mind, Changmin pulled away from him, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. He brought his hand down before grabbing the papers and straightening them out. When Junsu noticed what he was doing, he set his hand on Changmin’s. This made the younger member look up at him, a curious look on his face.

“Maybe you shouldn’t read them, either,” Junsu voiced his thought. Changmin just looked back at the papers. “Maybe…you should take your own advice.”

He watched as Changmin shook his head. “No,” he replied, looking back up at him. “I told you already. Even strangers are reading this, hyung. I don’t want people…knowing things about Jaejoong that we don’t.” He shook his head solemnly. “Especially this….”

Junsu sighed, nodding. He understood where Changmin was coming from, but was it worth it? Driving their sanity could only go so far before it would run off the tracks. After they stared at each other for what felt like time to eternity, Junsu finally allowed his hand to slide off the other’s, letting Changmin straighten out the prints completely, though some creases still traced it. He turned and grabbed the corner of the papers, shifting it to where they both were able to read.

* * *

_I had a feeling he would still be asleep when I returned, so imagine my surprise when he was already alert, eyes darting towards me when I walked through the door. I apologized for my absence and he said nothing._

_He was mad at me for leaving him. I could tell by the way he was acting._

_Even though he had been sleeping for so long, he still looked tired to me. Though he was worn out; which I suppose would have been correct. Our actions from last night would have tired him; but the aftermath was worth it. I let him know that tidbit of thought coming from my mind and he said nothing; his eyes were still staring at me._

_Those large brown eyes._

_Fear or anxiety?_

_I knew it was the latter and I shook my head, telling him he would have to wait. Now was time for food. We could make love afterwards._

_At that information, he let out a strange cry in a breath and turned his head away from me, shutting those brown orbs from my view. I knew he enjoyed it as much as I did. By that reaction, he was saddened by the fact that he would have to wait. I sat next to him on the bed and, after setting the sustenance down by him, grabbed the side of his face, making him look at me._

_I connected our lips before telling him that we would return to our previous actions after he ate something. I knew he had to be hungry – I don’t believe he ever ate last night._

_That would not go well. I didn’t want him fainting on me due to lack of nutrition. I even picked him up a fresh strawberry pastry. As sweet as the treat was, it still would not compare in taste to my angel._

_The only dilemma I could see was that if he ate lying down, he would surely choke on his food. He would have to sit up against the headboard. Sure, his hands would be inaccessible, but I would take care of him._

_It took some effort, mainly because he didn’t want to, but I managed to get him to sit straight. The sweet angel was embarrassed by being so inappropriately exposed during a meal. As beautiful as he was, I still respected his wishes to be concealed as we dined, so I pulled the covers over his lower half. He seemed a bit more relaxed, then._

_When I took the pastry from its place in the brown bag, I saw him shake his head ‘no’ before looking at me with those gorgeous eyes. I repeated my previous words as I broke a corner off of the pastry. When I held it to his lips, he pursed his lips together, denying it._

_Now, if he wasn’t going to eat it on his own, I would make sure he ate it one way or another._

_After telling him that, he finally parted his lips a little; enough to allow me to slip the food into his mouth. Those soft lips closed around my fingers as I pushed the treat completely in._

_It was like velvet running gently across my fingertips._

_He chewed it so slowly. I watched the muscle in his jaw flex with each and every time he bit back down. His eyes never left mine; it was as though he was looking to me for confirmation that it was all right to eat._

_I told him that I loved him and I wanted what was best for him. That as long as he was with me, I would be happy and that no one would ever take him away from me. And that I would kill anyone who ever tried to take him away._

_No one cared about him like I did. He was mine._

_My soul mate._

_We were so perfect together. I didn’t want to see him torn away from me._

_I almost lost him before and I had no intentions of allowing that to happen again._

_He looked at me strangely for my words; and as I broke off another piece of the pastry and passed it through his lips, he continued to watch me._

_We stayed nearly silent as I continued to feed him. When he was done and nothing more but crumbs remained, I ran my hands through his hair and kissed him again. His lips tasted much like the pastry; sweet with a strawberry flavor._

_I told him that we would share another moment after his food had a chance to settle. The last thing I wanted was for him to get sick because we rushed things. I figured that while we waited, he could always watch something entertaining._

_After throwing the trash away, I took the remote and sat next to him. He looked away from me as I turned the television onto something._

_I told him I would only leave the room for a little bit; enough to record our actions, anyway. The channel that it had landed on was going on about a concert to be held in some Hall in three days. I watched as my angel’s expression changed. As I left the room, I heard him crying again._

_But it was all right. He was crying because I was leaving – that much I knew, so I reassured him that it would only be a little while. I shut the door and as I walked towards my desktop, he started yelling._

_Was me leaving him alone having that much of an effect on him?_

_Oh, my angel. Don’t cry or be sad. I would never leave you._


	13. Truthful Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

Two crumpled up pages lay in a wastepaper basket near the vending machines on the top floor of the hotel. The hallway was bare as Junsu and Changmin walked into the elevator; the younger member had his head facing the ground, his expression blank as Junsu continually rubbed his shoulder and upper arm in a reassuring manner. They did not discuss the writings in any way. When they had finished, Changmin released an estranged cry and balled up the printed out papers; they crinkled easily after being crunched up from before.

Junsu tried to comfort him before taking the pages away. He left Changmin’s presence only for a moment as he went to dispose of them, ditching them in the small trashcan down the hall by the elevators and machines. He went to return to Changmin who had already followed him, whereas Junsu almost ran into him in a literal sense when he turned around.

Apparently, Changmin had no interest in returning back to the suite and wanted to walk around – to vent. Junsu agreed to go with, though even if Changmin denied him, he would have anyway; if for no more of a reason than to make sure Changmin did not do something inane. With the current emotions welling up, the idea of allowing any of them to go anywhere alone was becoming unheard of. Their own well-being was at stake.

The ride down to the lobby was done in silence; what was there to say? When they stepped into the lobby, a group of people pushed passed them to enter the device. They were talking excitedly in English – not a single person among them was Asian in any form: Tourists. The thought ran across Junsu’s mind that they must have come from wealth, whereas the hotel would not have been a choice for tourists on a budget. When the crowd made their way passed him, he ended up being separated from Changmin and when the elevator doors closed, he looked around for the youngest member.

It was as though he had vanished in merely a few seconds; vanishing in a sea of people in the lobby. Given the time, it was not surprising that so many people were flooding in through the doors or exiting them. Checking in and checking out – the timing was prime. However, it still made it difficult for him to track down the other member who was blending in perhaps a little too well. He started scanning the lobby and when he did not see any sight of him, he travelled back to the café where few people were, now. Even that room was vacant of Changmin.

He rubbed the back of his head and headed back to the lobby. Where could he have gone in less than a minute from the time they had been separated?

Though the chance was slim, he decided to check outside, thinking that perhaps when Changmin mentioned walking around, he was thinking along the lines of exiting the confinements of the walls of the hotel. He excused himself through a group of people before reaching the door and walking outside. He looked around and from there it did not take long for him to spot the youngest member.

Changmin was sitting on the floor against the wall of the building; his elbows were set on his knees as he stared blankly to the other side of the street. Junsu sighed and walked to him, turning his back to the building and sitting down next to the younger male. He just sat quietly next to him as their thoughts drifted elsewhere. People that passed by looked at them strangely, wondering why two grown men were sitting on the ground.

“I just wish they would tell us.”

Junsu looked at Changmin, not understanding what he meant or hardly what he had said. He raised a brow.

“Who would tell us what?” he asked, voice curious as he pursed his lips together. He watched as Changmin sighed before allowing the back of his head to hit the building. Junsu flinched when he heard the dull thudding noise.

“The officers and investigators,” Changmin answered. This had Junsu bite his bottom lip and advert his eyes away. “Why won’t they tell us why we can’t read the posts, Junsu?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed upwards as he looked to the older member.

Junsu could only shrug as he shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Changmin sighed and looked passed Junsu, around to a duo of recognizable faces were standing in front of the main door, talking about something they could not hear. Changmin recognized them as the female investigator and one of the female employees at the hotel. As they walked inside, Changmin clicked his tongue and set his hands on the ground.

“Well, I’m going to go find out,” he said as he pushed off and stood.

Junsu jerked his head up to look at him, mouth open trying to form words. All he could get out was, “Ch-Changmin!” before the other member vanished inside after the women. He climbed to his feet as quickly as he could before following after him.

He glanced around the lobby before spotting Changmin walking over towards the female investigator who, apparently, had just finished chatting with the employee, whereas he saw the other woman walking away towards a station. He ran to catch up with Changmin and he managed to come up right behind the other just as they approached the investigator.

“Excuse me, miss?” Changmin said, getting the woman’s attention.

She turned to face him, giving him a curious stare as she watched him. “Yes?” she asked, raising an eyebrow, facing the duo completely, now.

“Changmin, come on,” Junsu said, grabbing the other’s shoulder; but Changmin ignored him entirely.

“Why can’t we read any of the entries?” Changmin asked straight up. Junsu tensed, but he was surprised when he noticed the woman did, too.

She shifted nervously on her left foot and scratched the side of her face, looking up to meet Changmin’s eyes. “What do you mean ‘why can’t you’?” she asked, eyebrows raised as she brought her hand down, staring at him intently.

At this, Changmin and Junsu exchanged looks before looking back to her. “Okay. I’m confused,” Junsu put in, shaking his head. “The other investigator told us if we read another one, he’ll arrest us for ‘interfering’.” He and Changmin watched as the woman sighed and shook her head.   

She brought her hand up to rub her temple before meeting their eyes. “I’m assuming this was Investigator Yong who told you that.” She watched as the two Dong Bang Shin Ki members gave a queried look; they were not familiar with the names of any of the people working on the case. She just nodded as she brought her hand down and crossed her arms. “Listen, I apologize for him, first off. No, you’re not interfering by reading anything.” After she said this, Changmin gave an ‘I told you so’ look to Junsu who hit him lightly in the chest with his arm.

“But then…why?” Junsu asked, knitting his eyebrows together. If anything, this made them even more curious than they already were.

They watched as the woman’s chest heaved as she took a deep breath before releasing it in a strain of continuous breath. She uncrossed her arms to push her hair that had fallen over her shoulder back behind her. Standing straight, she put one hand on her waist.

“It’s the case,” she began explaining. “I know he doesn’t come off like it, but he’s concerned, not only for your friend’s safety and well-being, but your all’s as well.” She could tell by the looks on the boys’ faces that they were at a loss, not believing a word she was saying. When they exchanged looks with one another, she realized that was exactly it. “I would like to tell you, but I can’t release any information; but don’t worry. Investigator Yong is the best in the field; there couldn’t be anyone better to work this case.”

She gave them a sympathetic look when she saw the expressions change again. Changmin shook his head as he looked down at the floor. He bit his bottom lip before pulling his head up to look at the woman again.

“Please, miss. Please just tell us why,” he said quietly, his eyes starting to become red again.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

Changmin shook his head again as he started blinking rapidly. What was so difficult about just giving them a simple explanation? It was not as though the mere simplicity of it would contaminate any part of the investigation, so why were they allowed to know nothing? Apparently, the female investigator felt sympathy for them, whereas she sighed and shook her head. When she did, Junsu, who was rubbing Changmin’s shoulder, looked at her.

“Fine,” she said in a breath before giving them each a stern look once Changmin even looked up at her. “But don’t let any of the other investigators know that you know, all right?” She watched as they nodded. She sighed and looked off to the side, as though she was contemplating on whether or not she should continue. After seeming to make up her mind, she shook her head before looking back to them. “It was about two years ago. I don’t know if either of you ever heard anything about it, but it was about a young woman and her fiancé. The woman went missing,” she ended the sentence in an upward tone, meaning it to be a question to see if either of them recalled ever hearing or reading about it in the news. When she gazed at their confused expressions, she continued.

“She was missing for about two days before anyone received any word about anything. It wasn’t until her fiancé received a letter in the mail – a letter very similar to the blogs that have been sent to you all.” At this, Junsu and Changmin glanced at each other before knitting their eyebrows together and analyzing the woman standing in front of them. “They followed along the same lines: describing everything that this person was doing to his woman. I remember working on the case with Yong. We sent for fingerprints, hand-writing analysis – you name it, we searched it.

“Well, we never found…a lead,” she continued, but now she began looking to her right as she was recalling memories rather than telling a story. Her facial expressions changed with the description. “The woman’s fiancé was losing his mind because of these letters. Reading everything that was happening to his wife-to-be…. Yong was working so diligently on the case; I don’t think he even took a break unless it was because he passed out over his desk due to lack of sleep. The woman wasn’t the only victim; her fiancé…,” she trailed off, her eyebrows moving upwards as her eyes started to glisten.

“About five days later, we found the woman…choked to death in an alleyway. When her fiancé found out…he was driven almost to insanity. We were to check up on him the next morning to make sure he hadn’t done anything and when we found him….” The female began to shake as she brought up her hand to run in through her hair, shaking her head as the memories continued to crawl forth. “He had…killed himself. Hung himself by the shower rod in the bathroom with a pair of jeans.” She shut her eyes and let out a strange laugh; very much so like the one Changmin had done in the suite before leaving it with the printed out blog in hand.

“It really shook our team; but Investigator Yong was so…distraught. I had worked with him on cases before, but something about that one really got to him…to all of us. We never….” She paused, biting her bottom lip before shaking her head slightly. She did not even look up at the two members; lost in her own strain of memories. “We never found the person who did it. It was…too clean.”

She shut her eyes to allow the images of her recalled memories to fade. There was time of awkward silence before she finally released a long breath and looked up to Junsu and Changmin. The looks on their faces were that of shock and awe, not knowing what to say or if they were to say anything. Now their minds were searching; confused and almost fearful of what the woman had just told them.

It explained so much: The way she had described it, Yunho’s reaction was all too familiar. It was no wonder why the investigators did not want them to read any part of the blogs. If anything at all were to take a turn, not for the better, but for the worse, Yunho might very well do the same thing. Changmin and Junsu both realized this and exchanged some form of hidden agreement about what to do. If there was to be another post that they would read, they would have to keep it silent; no matter how much it would pain them to keep such a thing quiet, it would appear that they had not another choice.

“There is one other tidbit of information that you might find somewhat comforting.”

The female speaking jerked the two out of their trancelike state and they brought their gazes to her, looking at her curiously.

“What could possible be comforting?” Junsu asked; it came out a bit more sarcastic than he intended, but the woman sighed, shaking her head.

“I know it’s not much, but our psychologist relayed this to us and it’s the only thing that is keeping our team’s head up.” They continued to give her an inquisitive look, wanting her to just say it and stop their wondering. “It may be difficult for you two to handle, but as long as the blogger continues to record that your friend is resisting, it is a good sign.” She shook her head at their looks. “It means he hasn’t retreated; he’s still in his right mind.” She shrugged as she shook her head again. “If the person starts recording that he’s not resisting, then we have an even bigger problem because that’ll mean he’s given up.” She pursed her lips together and tried to for a smile; it came out in a half-smile. “He’s strong. Much stronger than if someone else was in his position.”

Changmin had started tearing again and by the looks of it, Junsu was not far behind and about to do much the same.

“I promise you. We’re going to find him. And we’re going to find him soon.”

She looked up when she heard someone who was standing near a table in the middle of the lobby call her. She held up her hand to signal she was coming over before pardoning herself from the boys’ presence. Junsu and Changmin watched her walk over, leaving them, before Changmin turned back around, staring at the floor. Junsu turned to look at him, watching his body movements and nearly blank facial expression. He grabbed Changmin’s hand and gave it a tight, heartening squeeze. The younger member turned to look at him, his eyebrows furrowed upwards as they glistened over.  

They would find him soon, right?

But what if soon came to be too late?

The unasked questions were followed by Changmin shaking his head and Junsu pulling him into another embrace.


	14. Feinting Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

“I’m fine.”

“You almost passed out!”

“I said that I’m fine.”

“You haven’t eaten.”

“Neither have you.”

“I’m not the one with the problem stomach!”

Yoochun sighed and looked at Yunho sympathetically as they both sat on the couch. It was not until Yunho had calmed down and they were sitting on the couch that they realized Junsu and Changmin were absent. Yoochun decided that caring to Yunho was more important than wandering off trying to find his comrades, whereas he was more concerned with the older member’s state than anything else. However, the leader was a bit more curious as to the others’ locations; though, in reality, he was only trying to divert his attention from the major problem. When he had stood to leave the suite, everything started to become brighter and he felt lightheaded. He had barely even taken one step forward before all that had gone bright went dark and he fell to his knees.

Yoochun was quick to be at his side and when the feeling began to fade, Yunho shook his head, saying that he was all right and that he had just stood up too quickly. Yoochun ignored him and escorted him back towards the couch until the feeling had completely subsided. Once that was through, Yoochun shook his head, looking at their leader while the other was holding his head.

Though Yunho continued to insist that he was fine, the other knew better. Any of the members knew better.

“I’m going to head downstairs for a second,” Yoochun said, sighing as he took to his feet.

Yunho turned his head to look up at him. “I’ll go with you,” he added on as he went to stand, but Yoochun shook his head, having Yunho give him a rather curious look.

“Hyung, you need to rest. I’m going to get you something to fill your stomach,” he replied to the look, returning Yunho’s look with a concerned one.

“Yoochun, I’m fi—”

“No,” he interrupted, looking sternly at the older member. “You can’t do anything if you’re unwell.” At this, Yunho looked back down at the floor, eyes trailing the carpet and Yoochun’s shoes. “Please, Yunho. Don’t go and start hurting yourself; you know that if Jaejoong was here, he would not want this of you, either.” He watched as Yunho nodded, otherwise unresponsive. Yoochun only sighed before replying back with a bland voice, “I’ll be right back.”

He turned on his heel and began walking towards the door; but as he grabbed the handle, he glanced back at Yunho who was still looking at the floor, eyes in a blank stare. He bit his bottom lip before pressing down on the handle and leaving the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Once out in the hallway, he pressed his back against the now closed door as he released a long string of breath, running his hand through his hair. He glanced to his right, down the hall towards the elevators. He started walking towards them, but before he reached the corner, he heard the sound of a door closing behind him down the hall. His first thought was that it was Yunho and he was going to turn him away; but when he turned his head to look over his shoulder, he saw the current resident of suite one heading towards him. Yoochun turned back around and turned the corner, walking up to the elevators. He reached out and pressed the button; it turned orange to signal it received the command and he shoved his hands in his pockets as he waiting for the device to arrive.

The man from the first suite came up next to the Dong Bang Shin Ki member and they acknowledged each other’s presence with a nod. When the elevator finally dinged to alert everyone to its arrival, the doors slid open and the two stepped inside. Yoochun pushed the button labeled ‘lobby’ and the other only nodded; for the second time, they were headed to the same location.

Yoochun leaned back on the railing that ran along the edges of the elevator interior, seeming to be lost in thought over something or other. The elevator stayed silent; that was until Yoochun took in a deep breath, deciding on whatever he was contemplating within his mind. At the sudden noise, the man looked towards him, giving him a questioning stare.

Yoochun glanced up at him. “Um, excuse me, sir,” he spoke as he gripped the railing tighter. “Last night…the people I was with…,” he paused and when the man nodded, telling him silently to go on, he continued. “Since then, have you seen Jaejoong?” The man gave him a quizzical look, raising an eyebrow. “He was uh….” Yoochun thought for a moment, trying to describe their oldest member. He held up his hand to about Jaejoong’s height. “About that height – shortest in our group. Um…black hair,” he went on, making a motion with his hand on himself to about the length of Jaejoong’s hair. “I think…he was standing next to Yunho – the one with brown hair; blond highlights.”

The man took a step backwards and tensed his jaw, appearing as though he was trying to recall the memory. While they stood in silence, Yoochun could not help but glance at the numerical dial in the elevator. They had just passed the eighth floor. When the man shook his head, Yoochun brought his attention back towards him.

“No, I haven’t.” He saw Yoochun’s disheartened face and shrugged. “Sorry, but is there a problem?”

Yoochun trailed his eyes on the base of the elevator, shaking his head solemnly. “No.”

Almost the moment he had said that, the elevator signaled to let them know it had reached its destination. It groaned as it stopped and the doors slid open, introducing them to the foyer before the lobby. The two exited the elevator. The man headed off into the main section of the lobby while Yoochun turned off to go to the café. He excused himself passed a trio of women who were talking about their jobs at an office somewhere else in the city before entering the café.

The line leading up to the counter was just about vacant and when Yoochun approached it, the only customer that was there had picked up their cup and walked away, disappearing into the lobby. The young lady that had been working at the counter earlier that morning was gone and now there was a man that did not even appear to be Korean – or any Asian for that matter. He looked like an American, no older than nineteen or twenty.

“What can I get for you, sir?” he asked, perfect Korean.

Yoochun glanced up at the chalkboard menu above and behind the counter.

“Do you carry toasted egg on wheat?” he asked, scanning over the menu, not seeing the item he just spoke.

“We do.”

Yoochun brought his gaze to meet the other. “Then that, please.”

The man nodded and turned to prepare the order. It was not much, but Yoochun had a feeling that Yunho would not eat anymore than he had to. While the order was being fixed, Yoochun turned to scan the café, seeing if Junsu or Changmin were anywhere in the room. He found them sitting in front of a computer just as the man working behind the counter called him back to tell him his order was ready. Yoochun thanked him before grabbing the plastic box the sandwich was in and walking over towards the computers.

The investigators had specifically told them to refrain from reading anymore posts, so what were they doing?

Junsu turned his head when he saw someone walking their direction from the corner of his eye. He stood straight and tapped Changmin on the shoulder, who then glanced up at him before looking to where Junsu was looking. Yoochun gave them a curious look when he came up next to Junsu.

“What are you guys doing?” he asked, glancing at the computer screen. The two youngest members exchanged looks. “If any of them see you—”

“Relax,” Junsu interrupted, causing Yoochun to give him a queried stare. “It’s not us they’re concerned about.”

At first Yoochun did not quite grasp what he was saying, but before either of the other two got a word in, Yoochun’s eyes widened a bit before his shoulders heaved. “Yunho….” Junsu only nodded. The look on both his and Changmin’s face showed that they both were uneasy about reading something without Yunho’s knowledge. Junsu glanced at the boxed up food in Yoochun’s hand and pointed to it. Yoochun looked down at it before holding it up. “For hyung.”

Junsu nodded, but Changmin turned to look up at him. “Is he all right?” he asked, face showing obvious concern.

“Yeah…it’s just…he hasn’t eaten and his stomach and everything…,” he trailed off as Changmin knitted his eyebrows together.

“But he’s okay, right?” he asked, voiced filled with concern.

Yoochun nodded slightly. “Yeah.” There was a moment of silence between them before Yoochun spoke back up again. “I’m going to go back up. If there’s anything new…tell me.”

They nodded in agreement, but as Yoochun started to walk away from them, Junsu called him back.

“Yoochun, just don’t tell Yunho, okay?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t.”

Junsu and Changmin watched him walk out of the café and out of sight into the lobby before turning back to look at the monitor.

The inbox in Changmin’s e-mail account was starting to become flooded with people sending questioning replies. Since the e-mails were being sent to so many people all at once, other readers were sending the questions to everyone on the e-mailing list. Though no one knew anyone else on the sender’s contact list, they were just as curious as to how the person acquired their mailing addresses. Nothing was making sense.

As it appeared, the only time anyone would jump them for checking would be if Yunho was with them. In a way, Junsu and Changmin were both cursing the other investigators working the case for not telling them anything sooner. Had they have known, they never would have allowed Yunho to read anything after the first time.

But now it was too late to do anything and all they would be able to do was keep him from reading anything more.

About three or four messages down, a new post was in bold font, as though it was taunting them to read it. **  
**

* * *

_I never knew that just seeing an expression could fuel a desire._

_Beautiful shining eyes._

_Stained driven cheeks._

_Tight clenched lips._

_Everything about it was utterly fascinating._

_Bleeding._

_Writhing._

_Screaming._

_Crying, even._

_It was a mixture of everything that was driving me; and he very well knew that. With it all, one would have to assume that he was making all those movements and expressions just for me. Only for my eyes and ears. Who would have thought that one simple piece of metal would be able to cause those reactions?_

_I truly believe that it was our most precious moment together._

_Though to the average person, it might have seemed cruel, but our connection was strong and he trusted me. So I had him lay back down; but he fought me._

_My patience was wearing thin. I wanted to – no. I had to see those expressions on his features. He always made them for me – to fire my passion._

_Each time he clenched his eyes shut._

_Each time he tensed his jaw._

_Each time he bit that supple bottom lip._

_I wanted to see it all again and again. Just the few times would not quench my desire and I knew very well that it would not quench his. It was all too intoxicating to resist. His resistance to lie back down was driving my sanity and I was not in the mood to play childish games. At my words, he gave in. I leaned in to kiss his lip again, but he kept his mouth shut, denying me entrance._

_I stood and walked to the suitcase that sat in the corner of the room, rummaging around for the bag carrying the normal toiletry necessities. I found it in the bottom of the bag and I opened it to extract the long, slender piece of metal._

_In my mind, I could see the reaction my angel would have as I slid the tip in…._

_I could see him throwing his head back and letting me hear that beautiful voice. The mere thought of it was literally making me mad. Thoughts would not suffice and I wanted to experience it first hand. So, I took my find and walked back over to my angel, sitting next to him on the bed as I lightly began running my fingers up and down the inside of his thigh. I watched him tense, back arching slightly as he shut his eyes._

_Was he trying to deny me or deny himself?_

_I found his actions to be quite cute._

_So I trailed up a bit higher and that seemed to have done the trick. He was even blushing. It was then that he released a slight moan – or it might have been a groan. I couldn’t tell. But still, that gorgeous voice made lame by such a noise._

_We couldn’t very well have that._

_In my other hand, the slender metal stuck at my finger when I shifted, not paying attention. I gave it no heed and as I leaned down to kiss my angel’s stomach, I let it slide to where I held it by index and thumb, not allowing him to see it…at least not yet._

_The reaction I knew he would have continued to return to my mind and it made me want to hasten my actions, but no. I had to be patient. If I rushed, I would end up hurting him and that was not something I intended to let happen._

_I kissed up and down his stomach before shifting to his chest and biting the piercing. He cringed at that, much like he had before; gritting his teeth and clenching his jaw._

_Oh—. That reaction made me want to draw another._

_And another._

_As I finally pulled up and began kissing down his jaw line, I encased my hand around his member with the hand that had been tracing the inside of his thigh. I brought up the slim piece of metal and when he felt the tip, he jerked…violently at that._

_He looked down at the thin needle I held and asked me what I was doing._

_What did he think I was doing?_

_I told him that if he stayed still, he would be fine – not to jerk or it would cause serious injury; injury which I was not willing to deal with._

_He was begging me not to and I had to wonder if he knew what I intended. I knew he trusted me with certain aspects, and after this, I knew he would trust me further._

_Those eyes that stared at me after that. Beautiful, shimmering brown eyes. That only made me want to experience his expressions even further._

_He knew that._

_So, I could not resist the temptation anymore. I wanted to see that reaction and I wanted to see it right them._

_As I pressed the tip of the needle against his head, his entire body tensed. He looked at me with wide eyes, shaking his head and saying ‘please’ over and over. I couldn’t help but chuckle at his reaction. He really was so cute._

_I slowly and carefully pushed it in._

_I didn’t think anyone was able to scream that loud. As beautiful as it was coming from his throat, I still had to at least keep him a little quiet and what better way was there to accomplish that then by covering his mouth with my own?_

_But, oh, was my imagination not even close to the true expression his face held._

_It was even more stunning in reality._

_The way he threw his head back and clenched his eyes shut, releasing that voice. Everything about it was magnificent. Even the way liquid seeped from his eyes._

_Once it was in, I pulled back and he broke out in shaking cries. I told him it would be all right and that he would be able to trust me – that I would never do anything that would utterly harm him. But even so, there was still one last experimental expression I wanted to see; and that was what his face would look like when he climaxed._

_He was trying to deny it when I started, but he soon enough realized that if he tried to hold back, it would hurt. Besides, he wasn’t about to deny me the face I so longed to see. He would do whatever it took to please me and I knew that._

_He cringed in what I thought might have been pain when he neared and did, but seeing his expression as the metal was pushed out, his face was overcome with almost relief._

_Such a beautiful expression to toy with his face, even when it was stained with water. I could have sat there all day, watching him and all of his subtle, seductive moves and twitches. I would have been quite content, as I’m sure he would have been._

_That was until…he said that damn name again._

_My mind flew into a rage and I couldn’t control myself._

_From reflex, my hand had grabbed the switchblade from the bedside table and flipped it open, pressing the blade harshly against his cheek and edge of his mouth. Because his mouth was still open when it occurred, if he would have opened his mouth any wider at all, blood surely would have been drawn._

_His eyes were staring widely at me; shimmering in fear and anxiety. Even seeing that expression on his face, my emotions would not calm. I started yelling at him, threatening him to say that name again; each time more and more pressure was being applied, testing the elasticity of his skin._

_At the time, I didn’t realize I was about to harm that beautiful face. I finally came back to my senses when I thought of a nasty scar being left from the cut – that angelic face with such a hideous feature._

_It was that thought that made me come back around. There was an indention from where it was pressed against his skin, but it would fade in but a few minutes._

_The moment I brought down the blade, I met our mouths together._

_I could feel him shaking beneath me; his body quivering from either our actions or my fit of insanity._

_Perhaps it was both?_

_His phenomenal beauty was driving me mad. Even though I had him, and he had my heart, his heart was not mine. His body only sustained a piece of me, but I wanted the whole._

_In due time…I would have it all._

_That I promised him and myself._

* * *

“Jaejoong!!”

Yunho shot up from the couch, eyes wide in a panic as sweat poured from his forehead. His breath was fast and rigid as the scenes from yet another dream stayed vivid in his mind. He brought up his hands to cover his face before pushing his hair back and looking around the room.

His eyes landed on the clock.

He had only been asleep but a few minutes; Yoochun had not even returned back. Not much longer after the thoughts ran through his head, the door handle clicked and he directed his attention to it as it was pushed open. He threw his legs over the side of the couch and shook his head before looking up to see Yoochun reenter the room, closing the door behind him.

“Yunho, I picked you up a—” Yoochun stopped in mid-sentence when he looked towards the leader. “Hyung…you’re pale,” he said, as he walked over to him, face filled with concern.

Yunho just shook his head. “I’m fine,” he replied. That phrase was becoming commonly used in his vocabulary.

Yoochun but his bottom lip, but did not press the matter. He glanced down at the plastic box in his hand before bringing it up and holding it out to the other. “Here. You don’t have to eat all of it, but please just eat something.”

Yunho stared at the box for a moment before taking it. He held it in his hands and stared at it, as if questioning on what to do with it. “Thanks,” he said in a bland voice, fumbling around with the corners of it before opening it. Yoochun nodded, as though he was content with at least that much, before turning on his heel and walking towards the restrooms.


	15. REVELATION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

A group of officials ran passed Junsu and Changmin as they entered the lobby and the two turned their heads to see them vanish behind a door that lead to the stairway. They exchanged glances before bringing their attention back. In fact, the entire lobby seemed to be bustling with police. Curious as to what was going on, they tried to get someone’s attention to ask what was going, but everyone seemed so caught up, they could not get anyone’s attention. Changmin bit his bottom lip as he looked around for someone – anyone that they could talk to. Junsu ended up spotting to female investigator, who had been chatting to them earlier, talking to one of the officials. He tapped Changmin on the shoulder and pointed over to her.

It took a bit to maneuver through the crowd of people to make their way over, and they stopped short of her presence as she nodded to something the official told her. They watched her mouth move as she responded and when the official scratched the back of his head, she just shook hers, appearing to be sighing. The official turned his head around, looking to someone who had apparently called for him. He excused himself from her presence and left, leaving the woman to stare after him, an almost aggravated look on her face.

Seeing her facial expression and body language, the two Dong Bang Shin Ki members were debating on whether or not they should approach her. Their answer was given when the woman saw them. She turned to them and walked over, formalizing her posture as she stood in front of them.

“What’s going on?” Junsu asked, not waiting for her to speak.

Changmin’s look gave the same question.

“We finally got a search warrant.” The answer was simple, straight and to the point. Both of the boys’ expressions went wide; their eyes widening and mouths almost falling open. “Look alive. We’re going to find him.” That was all she said before she was beckoned over by an older male investigator – Investigator Yong as they had come to understand him. “Ah. Excuse me,” she said, leaving them to stare almost dumbly after her.

At the same moment, Junsu and Changmin jerked their heads to look at one another. Changmin had brought his hand up to cover his mouth as his eyes started to glisten over. This had been what they had been hoping for. Even though it had not even been a full twenty-four hours, the time had felt like an eternity – each and every single minute crept by, making it feel like hours that multiplied to days. With the news, they hardly knew how to react.

One thing, however, was for sure.

It would not be much longer, now.

* * *

“Break down the door. What’s going on?”

Yoochun looked at Changmin and Junsu’s frantic expressions; both had their eyes wide and were out of breath, as though they had ran up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.

Yoochun had just sat down on the couch after Yunho traded places with him, taking to the restroom the moment it was free. Not much longer after that, he heard consistent banging on the door. He heard Junsu and Changmin on the other side, shouting for someone to open the door; his initial question was why did they not just use their room keys, but he abandoned the thought and stood. The moment he opened the door, he was greeted with the two, both red in the face.

Junsu exhaled rapidly and held up his hand, shaking it hastily, trying to get what he wanted to say expelled. “…warrant,” was the only thing he managed to get out and Yoochun did not catch what he had said.

Changmin shook his head, inhaling. “They got a – a search warrant,” he said in quick breaths.

At the words, Yoochun practically jumped back – his immediate reaction being much like the two younger members in front of him. He hardly knew how to react. He just blinked dumbly, mouth open and a blank stare toying with his face. The only words he was able to have escape from his lips were:

“W – What?”

The only reply he received was Changmin panting while nodding furiously.

“They’re working their way up!” Junsu cut in, pushing passed Yoochun and stepping into the room. He looked around and walked back towards the bedrooms, disappearing inside. Yoochun just watched as his ally vanished before bringing his attention back to Changmin who shook his head and followed in as well. Once he was in the room, Yoochun shut the door and looked back after Junsu who came back around the corner shortly after. “Where’s Yunho?”

Yoochun just pointed to the closed restroom door. Junsu suddenly felt like an idiot, whereas he passed right by the restroom to go to the bedrooms. He wanted to break down the door to tell Yunho, but shook his head, choosing to wait, instead. He glanced to Changmin who was walking in impatient circles around the living room – his legs stretching as he took long strides with his hands held together as he pressed them against his mouth. He turned to look up at Junsu who then tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it met only halfway.

It was the anxiety that was building up – if anything, now they were even more impatient. They felt as though they wanted to go and start pushing down doors; checking rooms as well. But instead, they had to sit back and wait for word that the officials had found Jaejoong. They only hoped that it would not be too late.

Yoochun brought up his hand to rub Changmin’s shoulder in a comforting manner. No sooner had he done that, the bathroom door clicked open to reveal a red-eyed, solemn-looking Yunho. Oddly enough, though it looked as though he had once again failed to conceal his emotions, now his facial expression looked as if he were irate. He just looked from one member to the other before his gaze finally ended on Junsu.

“What’s going on?” he asked, voice bland – almost uncaring.

Changmin bit his bottom lip and began lightly hitting his jaw with his clenched hands. Seeing his reaction, Yoochun stood closer to him and wrapped his arm around the other’s shoulders. Yunho only glanced over at them before being his attention back to Junsu who, too, had been distracted. He took a step forward.

“They got a search warrant…and they’re searching the hotel, now,” he said, almost in one breath.

Unlike theirs, Yunho’s reaction was quite different. He released a hard breath that shook and his lower jaw shook. He looked off to the side, away from the group, bringing up his hand to run through his hair. He began inhaling and exhaling in shorter breaths as he began blinking his eyes rapidly. He brought up his other hand and ended up covering his face as he crouched down; muffled whispered phrases of ‘It’s about time’ managed to slip through. He exhaled again before running both hands back through his hair for a second time, then looked up at Junsu from his crouched position.

“What floor are they on?” was Yunho’s next question.

Even though the question was directed to Junsu, Changmin answered from the other end of the living room.

“They’re starting on the first floor and going up from there.”

“They have almost an entire squad looking, so it won’t be long!” Junsu practically forced out, making Changmin jerk back at the sudden outburst.

Yunho shook his head, almost in disbelief at the information being told to him. He sighed and put his hands on his knees, pushing up to a standing position. He swallowed and shook his head again, continuing to blink rapidly. “I – I have to go see,” he said, eyes staring in a daze. He glanced at the others before walking to the door and swinging it open in a vigorous manner, leaving it to swing on the hinges as he walking with haste steps down the hallway. Yoochun and Junsu glanced at each other before Junsu released a strange groan, running out of the room after their leader.

Yoochun stood with Changmin as the youngest stared out the door after the others. He and Yoochun glanced to each other before the older of the two let go of Changmin’s shoulders to follow after them. Changmin turned to do the same, but his peripheral vision caught something on the arm to the couch. It was Yunho’s cellphone. He glanced to the door before grabbing it and following after them.

By the time he made it to the elevators, Junsu and Yunho were gone and Yoochun was waiting with his arms crossed for the elevator to come back. The button was lit bright orange to signal that it had been received. He turned to look at Changmin and gave the youngest member a reassuring smile. Changmin attempted to return the gesture, but was unsuccessful.

“How much longer do you think it’ll take?” Changmin asked, receiving Yoochun’s attention.

The older member knew what he was talking about and he only shrugged. “I don’t know,” he replied, turning back to face the closed elevator doors. “I just…hope it doesn’t take much longer.” He turned to see Changmin nod in agreement, his eyes trailing the floor.

They waited the rest of the time in silence before the elevator dinged to allow them to know it had arrived at the destination. The doors slid open and they stepped inside the now empty device. They both leaned back on the railing as the doors shut and the machine began its descent. In the awkward silence, the usual ride down seemed to take longer. The creaks and groans of the machine echoed around them and their ears popped at least once before it reached the lobby.

The doors opened and they stepped out as other people stepped in. They walked to the main part of the lobby and looked around for Junsu and Yoochun, but neither of the two men were anywhere in sight. Yoochun pursed his lips together as he put one hand on his hip and the other to his mouth. He scanned the room. He spotted a duo of officials standing at the entrance to the hotel, as though they were guarding it, and more people were bustling in and out.

“What made…,” Changmin started as he looked at Yoochun, giving him an almost intense stare. At the sudden speech of the person standing next to him, Yoochun jerked his head to stare back at the other member. “Yunho so angry last night…about his phone,” he asked, holding the cellphone in his hands as he waited for Yoochun to answer.

Yoochun only shook his head. “Wh – What do you mean?” he asked. He looked down when he saw Changmin’s hands move, holding the phone. His mouth fell open. “Wh – Where did you get his phone?”

“Does it matter?” Changmin asked, raising a brow, but keeping the same intensity in his stare. “What’s on the phone? Why did Yunho become so frantic over his phone?”

Yoochun shrugged and shook his head, trying to shut his eyes. “I – I don’t know.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Changmin cried out, eyes glazing over. “You know something, Yoochun; otherwise you wouldn’t have been so defensive when you saw I had his phone!” His manner was protesting. “Jaejoong’s number was the last one to call his phone…around the same time we were at dinner last night,” his voice became more vibrant as his eyes turned red. “In the post we all read…the guy wrote that Jaejoong was calling somebody.” At this, Yoochun shifted his gaze away. “It was Yunho, wasn’t it?” Yoochun did not reply verbally, only slowly shook his head ‘yes’. “What is it about the phone call, hyung? And don’t lie to me…. I’m sick of you guys always acting like I can’t handle anything!” The evidence from his eyes started to flow freely down his face as he continued. “I’m only a few months younger than Junsu – I’m not a kid!”

“Junsu doesn’t know, either!” Yoochun finally cried out, jerking his head to look at Changmin. Seeing Changmin’s face sent a pang to his chest. “Originally…Yunho didn’t want any of us to know.” He bit his lip. “I found out last night when I woke up and Yunho wasn’t in the room. I saw his cellphone…and remembered his outburst – I was curious!” He shrugged at the last bit.

He did not say anything else, which made Changmin look at him quizzically. “What’s on the phone?” he drew out, bringing his head down, but not tearing his gaze away.

There was a second’s pause before Yoochun finally sighed and shook his head, giving up.

“It’s a voicemail.” The small answer received an even more curious look from the youngest member. Yoochun met Changmin’s eyes. “It caught a small portion of Jaejoong and his…attacker.”

Changmin did not reply; instead, he looked down at the phone in his hands. They stood in silence for what seemed like ages. Yoochun continued to look at Changmin who began fooling around with their leader’s cellphone. He pressed a few buttons before speaking out in a monotone voice.

“I want to listen to it,” he said blatantly.

Yoochun’s expression changed. “Changmin. No-”

“I have as much right to listen to it as you all do!” he cut him off, jerking his head to stare at the older member. He swallowed hard and shook his head, looking back to the phone. He pressed the ‘one’ before pressing the phone to his ear.

“Changmin…,” Yoochun trailed off, knowing that nothing he could say would halt the other member’s actions. He sighed and shook his head, staring at the ground.

While the automated voice was going through the initial instructions on the phone, Junsu and Yunho approached them; Junsu was shaking his head, as was Yunho. However, Yunho’s expression changed when he saw that the youngest member was holding his cellphone.

“Changmin!” he cried out in protest, but was cut off by Yoochun.

“I already tried,” he said. At their reactions, Junsu was giving them both a curious look, having not the slightest notion as to what was going on. Yunho jerked his head to stare at Yoochun, but the other only shrugged. “Maybe it won’t hurt…to let him hear it.”

“Hear what?” Junsu asked, feeling completely left out.

“Wait a second...,” Changmin trailed as he brought the phone down from his ear. All three turned to look at him, almost in shock at his outburst. He shook his head. “I recognize that voice.” He handed Yunho his cellphone, his mind trying to piece where he had heard it before. Both Yunho and Yoochun’s expressions went wide while Junsu just gave him a curious look.

“You do?” Yunho asked, jaw falling open.

“What voice?” Junsu asked, but was ignored as Changmin’s revelation revealed itself.

“One of the people we met - that Chouxiang guy. It sounds just like him."

“What?” Yoochun just asked, dumbfounded.

“Are you sure?” Yunho put in, knitting his eyebrows together and watching as Changmin shook his head. He suddenly felt his stomach tighten again. If he only would have listened to Yoochun and allowed Changmin listen to it sooner – he very well could have prevented everything. So much time spent. So much time wasted. He shook his head as Yoochun hit him in the shoulder.

“We have to go tell them!” he cried out, referring to the officials.

Yunho just shook his head as Yoochun took off towards the stairs, not feeling to wait on the elevator, as Yunho glanced back at Changmin and Junsu (Changmin nodded) before following after the other. Before going after the older members, Junsu put his hand on Changmin’s shoulder and gave a light squeeze, giving him the same reassuring smile he was trying to force earlier. Changmin acknowledged with a nod before they both went off after the other two whom had already disappeared up the red-carpeted staircase near a clerk’s desk.

They skipped the stairs two at a time, grabbing the wooden railing and practically projecting themselves forwards, trying to catch up. They ended up reaching the first floor and looked down the hallway. Junsu nudged Changmin in the side with his elbow and pointed down near the end of the hallway where they saw Yoochun and Yunho talking excitedly with a duo of officials. They ran down the hall and stopped next to Yunho as Yoochun nodded, finishing a sentence.

“—top floor!” Yoochun’s breath was short as he still tried to regain it from skipping up the stairs.

The officials exchanged glances before they brought their attention back to the haste speakers. “The top floor? Isn’t that the floor you all are staying on?” he asked, eyebrows raised as his partner glanced at Junsu and Changmin who were watching the other man speak. Yoochun’s only reply was a nod, but Yunho cut in with a sarcastic remark of:

“Do you have to make us feel worse?”

The official only shook his head before grabbing the communicator on his belt. He detached and brought it up to his mouth, pressing the button on the side so his voice would transmit. It buzzed when it clicked and the four Dong Bang Shin Ki members just watched him intently.

“This is officer 203. We have confirmation on suspect’s whereabouts – top floor, suite one. Requesting back-up.” He released the button and it clicked.

Not moments after, there was a buzz over the line as a female’s voice came flooding back over. “Back-up confirmed.” The officer nodded and looked to his partner. However, before they began making their way to the elevators, the woman’s voice came back. “Wait for arrival before initiating confrontation.”

The officer brought the radio back up to his mouth and clicked the button again as he and his partner started heading to the elevators, the group members trailing right behind them with hurried footsteps. “Ten-four.”

Even after pressing the button for the elevator, time made it seem like eternity before it finally dinged to signal it had arrived. The officer that had been confirming back-up had tried to get the group members to wait in the lobby, but found the attempt futile and a backlash that could have ended very badly had he not agreed to allow them come up. While they elevator began to speed up its ascent, the officer looked at Yunho who was nodding about something Yoochun has just whispered to him.

“You four are to wait outside of the room, got it?” he said, lowing his gaze to give them an almost threatening look.

They all just nodded, not seeming to be bent on verbally replying. Seeming satisfied with their answer, the officer nodded. The elevator began to slow and it groaned as it signaled its stop. The doors shuttered before sliding open and when they did, the two officers stepped out and put their hand on their holsters as they walked down the hall and a semi-jog. Not but a minute later, the door that lead to the staff’s elevator and staircase opened up, only one official stepping out. The others signaled them over. It was the female investigator, her pistol drawn. They did not notice it before, but under her suit jacket, the woman was wearing a gun holster.

Yoochun glanced at the others. Changmin was shaking and Junsu was rubbing his back in a comforting manner, and Yunho looked as though he was about ready to kill someone; his face was stern and he just stared at the suite number written in gold on the door. 

The female motioned for the officers. “The others are on their way up,” she whispered. “But we can’t risk anything. Get ready.” One of the officials the boys’ had been in the elevator with took out a hotel room key – the Master Key. He slid it into the slot and the moment it flashed green, he stepped out of the way and allowed the woman to push down on the handle with her elbow, pushing the door open.

“Police! Hold it!”

The man, who apparently had been sitting with his laptop on the couch, pushed the computer from his lap and practically leapt over the coffee table, darting towards the bedroom.

“Hey!” she shouted, signaling the others to go in. When they darted inside the room, the female’s voice came out of the suite. “Drop your weapon!” There was a sound of something crashing that followed. 

Changmin suddenly broke out in hysterics, his hands covering his mouth as his body shook even worse. He clamped his eyes shut and Junsu, whose eyes were wide, bottom lip shaking, embraced him. Yoochun went over to help, but Yunho just cursed and shook his head, taking a step forward and vanishing inside the suite as well.

“Yunho!” Yoochun called out after him, glancing back to Changmin, then Junsu. “Take care of him, okay?” he said quickly before going after Yunho.

He entered the suite’s living room to see Yunho standing off to the side inside the doorway to a bedroom. He saw the female investigator in front of him, her pistol drawn and pointing in front of her. He ran over and his eyes went wide at the site before him as he walked into the bedroom, coming up next to Yunho.

Just as was described in the blog, Jaejoong was laying on the bed, his wrists coiled with duct tape to the bed’s headboard. A blanket was across his lower body, but small, slight cuts traced his entire abdomen. And there was the bastard responsible for everything. All three of the officials had their weapons drawn and pointed at him as the man leaned over Jaejoong, the switchblade that had been described in the blog was in his hand, tracing Jaejoong’s jugular vein.

“Sir…please put the weapon down,” the woman spoke, her voice calm but stern as she held her weapon in front of her.

The man shook his head. “No! You’re not taking him from me!” He shot her a glare. “I won’t let you.” His jaw clenched as his eyes narrowed.

“Okay,” the woman said, and this seem to be what the man wanted to hear. He allowed his face to stop the harsh look it was sending, but his jaw was still tensed. He watched the woman’s every move. “No one’s here to take him away from you, all right?” she spoke in a light voice, trying to reassure him. He brought his gaze down to look at Jaejoong, whose eyes were open as he stared fearfully from the man to the investigator. “But, sir. You need to put the weapon down.”

“He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?” the man asked rhetorically as he peered into Jaejoong’s eyes and began running his free hand through the younger male’s hair. Jaejoong’s mouthed formed into what looked like to be a silent ‘please.’ “Those beautiful eyes. That gorgeous mouth. And…such soft skin,” he said the last sentence as he lightly traced the blade down Jaejoong’s neck, stopping at his chest. “He’s just like her….”

The woman looked at one of her investigator’s whose look became curious. She shifted her shoulder and turned her attention back to the man. “Just like whom?” she asked, her voice slightly more demanding.

“But she left me, too.” He jerked his head back up towards the woman. “I won’t let you take him away from me!” the man cried out, the knife’s tip dangerously close to Jaejoong’s chest.

“Sir, please,” the woman spoke gently, hand not even shaking as her finger laced the trigger. “Just put the weapon down, okay? We don’t want anybody to get hurt.”

The man shook his head, hands shaking as his eyes were wide, staring back at her. “No,” he said, voice shaking. “You’re not taking him away from me….”

“Sir—”

He looked down at Jaejoong who was breathing rapidly, face stained with salt water as he continued to stare wide-eyed at the man’s hand that was holding the blade. He smiled strangely at him.

“So beautiful…,” he spoke in an awkwardly soothing voice.

“Sir, please,” the woman reiterated. She glanced to her colleagues who were watching the man’s actions.

“I can’t have him,” he started, recapturing the woman’s attention.

“Sir—!”

“Nobody can!” he cried out as he picked up the blade and jabbed it down through the other’s chest in one swift move.

“JAEJOONG!!”

Gunshots followed mere milliseconds afterwards.

It all happened so quickly. The man fell backwards towards the wall and slid down it, his eyes open as three bullet holes traced his body – one in the neck and two in the abdomen. Blood smeared across the wall as he slid to the floor, eyes blankly staring ahead.

“Jaejoong!!” Yunho shouted as he ran over to the other’s side. Yoochun was shaking uncontrollably as tears were sliding down his face and he ran his hands through his hair, his breath shaking as his cries became violent.

“This is Investigator Chashin! We need immediate medical attention! Suspect has stabbed the victim! He’s bleeding out!” the woman spoke hurriedly into her communicator, her pistol at her side.

The knife was still protruding from Jaejoong’s chest as blood began flowing outwards, his chest vibrating shakily up and down. With eyes unblinking, Yunho looked from the weapon to Jaejoong’s face. Tears fell down his face as he held Jaejoong’s face; the other’s eyes darting around.

“Jaejoong! Please! Come on,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking as he called for the other. “Please, Jaejoong. Just stay awake, okay?”

Jaejoong did not reply, only continued to dart his eyes around as his chest shook up and down, the metal shaking with him. He made a few strange choking sounds as his mouth continued to move, as though he was trying to speak. His tongue clicked a few times before he managed to stable his gaze and lock eyes with Yunho.

“Y – Yun…ho?” he asked, choking between syllables.

Yunho just nodded.

“Yeah,” he replied, tears ceasing to stop. He tried to force a smile. “It’s me.” He inhaled sharply. “I’m here.” Jaejoong did not reply. His eyelids fluttered shut as he swallowed, chest continuing to vibrate violently up and down. “Jaejoong?!”

“Where is he?” a man’s voice drifted over into the bedroom.

Yunho did not take his eyes off of Jaejoong; and as the paramedics came in, one of the officers had to pull him away while one of the paramedics cut through the duct tape that was binding Jaejoong to the bed. As they tried to load Jaejoong onto a cloth-type stretcher, Yunho just continued to shout out Jaejoong’s name over and over again.

“Please, Jaejoong!” he shouted out after the paramedics as they walked out of the room with the Dong Bang Shin Ki member in tow. “Don’t leave me! You can’t leave me!!”


	16. Hall of Mirrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

**16  
** **Hall of Mirrors**

The group and their manager sat outside the doors to the Emergency room in a hospital. As of yet, they had yet to hear anything on Jaejoong’s condition; however, a doctor did come out and explain the situation - basically saying that his condition was critical and that they were trying to remove the weapon without inflicting fatal injury. He would not reveal much more information than that before he turned and disappeared back through the two metal swinging doors, leaving the group in a state of panic. They would not even talk amongst themselves; they just kept quiet, not knowing what to say.

As if everything else was not enough, when people saw an ambulance waiting outside the hotel, they became curious and began looking on. When Jaejoong was brought out on the stretcher, police had to get people to stay back just so they could make their way to the vehicle and leave. People were taking out their cellphones to record what was going on and several of them had their devices confiscated. The ambulance had already left when the other four exited the hotel, escorted by officials – the reaction to them was no different.

By the time they had arrived to the hospital, paparazzi were already starting to flood the front gates and officers were threatening arrest if they did not stay back however many yards from the building. When a paparazzi managed to gain access inside, he was yelled at by officials and told that they would place him under arrest for halting progress of an investigation. When he refused, they did exactly what they had said they would do and confiscated his camera that mysteriously ‘broke’ shortly afterwards.

The clock on the wall above a receptionist’s desk was slowly dragging by. Yunho continued to glance up at it and every time he did, it kept looking as through it was going backwards rather than forwards. What felt like hours would drag on and when he would look back up at the clock, it would have only been a few minutes. Junsu was pacing back and forth across an aisle of empty seats, chewing his thumbnail as his eyes continued to trace along the floor. Just as Yunho was doing, he, too, continued to look at the clock over and over again. Changmin was sitting with his elbows on his knees and hands on the back of his head, head facing the floor, though his eyes were shut. The way he was positioned, he looked as though he had a wave of carsickness wash over him and he was trying to calm his stomach. Occasionally, a sniff would be heard from him as his back heaved up and down before he went silent again. Yoochun was restless as well. Yet, unlike Junsu, he was sitting down, but he kept switching chairs every few minutes.

Their manager, on the other hand, was outside in the lobby, talking to a group of officials. The group did not even look up when he walked back into the emergency room’s waiting room. Even after he returned, it was another hour before an E.R surgeon walked into the room, entering from the two metal swinging doors. When he came into the room, the group stood and eagerly went over to him, almost terrified at the news they would receive.  

The doctor sighed and shook his head, allowing everyone to breathe large sighs of relief.

“The blade didn’t pierce anything vital. It was a good thing no one tried to remove it, or he would have bled to death,” he paused after the sentence to meet the others’ eyes that were staring intently at him. “He did, however, have some internal bleeding in the abdomen.”

He paused after that and the group exchanged nervous glances before Changmin spoke, eyebrows furrowed upwards.

“But he’ll be okay, right?”

The doctor shook his head, nodding. He suddenly seemed uncomfortable and judging by his posture, the group knew whatever he said next would not be good. He exhaled. “Physically he’ll make a full recovery.” He watched as the groups’ look changed. “He’ll need to take it easy for about three months and let the wound heal. For about two weeks, any extraneous activities will cause the wound to reopen – inside and out.”

There was an air of silence that surrounded them for a moment. Yunho ran his hands back through his hair, releasing a breath while similar reactions and nods went around.

“Where is he now?” their manager asked, voice filled with curiosity and concern. The others perked up when they heard the question and looked eagerly as the doctor.

“We’re going to keep him in the I.C.U and monitor his condition overnight. When he shows progress of recovery, we’ll move him to a room in the morning.” He watched as the group nodded.

He made a slight bow before he turned to disappear behind the swinging doors, but before he did, he was called back.

“Um, when can we see him?” Yunho asked, eyes glazed.

At this, the doctor stopped and sighed, shaking his head before he turned to look up at the leader. “We’re going to ask that you wait until morning.” The groups’ faces became disheartened. “I’m sorry,” he finished, finally vanishing back behind the doors.

It was the beginning of a long night. While people continued to crowd around the gates to the hotel, trying to get information, police and other officials had their hands full trying to keep everyone back and to stop asking questions. Having news crews arrive were not helping the matter any and at one point, a paparazzi tried to get back in by faking an injury. Instead of being allowed to enter the premises, he was arrested for false accusations.

The group was restless, unable to get their minds on anything but Jaejoong. Around midnight, a crash cart came in with someone who apparently was in a car accident when their vehicle went under a semi truck. As the paramedics rushed them through, the person on the cart was mumbling incoherently, saying that they could not tell his parents. There was, what appeared to be, a metal pole jammed through his upper leg, but the person, obviously a teenager, was holding his arm all the while. That was all they heard before he was pushed back behind the doors. Not much longer after that, two adults came in and sat down, muttering hastily to each other; the female continued to accuse her husband of not watching where he put the keys to his car: The teenager’s parents.

Roughly an hour from then, a doctor emerged to tell them their son was fine, but would be on crutches for a while. They left shortly after that when they were told their son was transferred to a room on the second floor. Afterwards, the group was left alone again. Their manger stood and left the room when two officials beckoned him to follow them.

It was two in the morning before any of the members fell asleep, and that was only because they fell asleep in mid-sentence. Just as it was last night, Changmin was the first one asleep, but Junsu went right after him. Junsu had gone over to sit next to Changmin after he had been pacing around for so long. One moment they were talking (though it was more of reassuring), and the next thing anyone knew, Changmin was in the middle of a sentence when he fell asleep, his head falling onto Junsu’s shoulder. He had continued to move his mouth as if he was talking, but his eyes were closed and what he was muttering had no words to it. Junsu passed out not much longer afterwards when he was unable to move without waking the other. He ended up falling asleep, his head on the other’s.

Yoochun finally stopped shifting seats and ended up sitting down next to Yunho who had his elbows on his knees and his fingers laced together, his forehead set on them. He released a sigh and leaned forward, setting his forearms on his legs. He turned his head to look at their leader.

“How are you holding up?” Yoochun asked, eyebrows furrowed upwards in a concerned state.

Yunho just shook his head, causing Yoochun to give him a curious look.

“I don’t even know what I’m going to say to him,” Yunho said as he exhaled and leaned his head back to sit on the back of the chair.

“What do you mean?”

Yoochun looked at him strangely as Yunho let out a strange laugh. “What do I say to him? ‘I’m sorry I got you raped and almost killed’?”

“Hyung…stop blaming yourself. You know this isn’t your fault.” Yoochun tried to reassure him, giving him a sympathetic look. “You couldn’t have stopped this….”

Yunho inhaled. “Yeah. I could have,” he said in practically a whisper. “I could have prevented everything,” he continued, still not speaking loudly. “If I would have believed him, I would have gone with him. Had I have gone with him, that sick…bastard wouldn’t have taken him and – and-” He trailed off and clamped his eyes shut.

Yoochun did not reply. He did not know what to reply with. Yunho was saying the same thing over and over about how it was his fault, when everyone knew otherwise. He had a feeling that even if Jaejoong told Yunho that it was not his burden, he still would continue to blame himself. He looked back to the older member, who still has his eyes shut, and set his hand on his shoulder. Yunho just turned his head and opened his eyes, not bothering to lift his head from the back of the chair.

“I’m gonna…go get something to drink,” he said softly and Yunho just nodded. “You want anything?” The other only shook his head and turned his head back to stare up the ceiling, as though he was counting the tiles.

Yoochun only sighed before standing up. Before he left the waiting room, he glanced back to Yunho who had closed his eyes back. He bit his bottom lip and glanced off to the side before leaving the room.

He walked down the hall to head back to the lobby of the hospital. When he entered, the two officials that were talking to their manager glanced at him and nodded to acknowledge him. He did the same before looking around, trying to find a sign pointing to the cafeteria. When he did not see one, he walked to the receptionist’s desk and asked. Instead of pointing him in the right direction, she pointed to a DASANI vending machine. He thanked her and walked over, reaching into his pocket as he did.

There were quite an amount of people in the waiting room in the lobby. He could feel some of their eyes staring at him and he tried his best to ignore them, not wanting to say anything to anyone. There were two televisions mounted on a stand towards the ceiling in the room; both were on the same channel. He was trying to tune out all of the noise, but as he inserted the dollar into the machine and pressed the button for a bottled water, the news reporter on the television said a recognizable name.

He turned his head to look up at it, watching as the screen was showing the outside of the hospital before switching to recognizable footage.

What it was was caught by someone’s cellphone. Through a crowd of people, it was showing an almost overhead view as whomever it was held their cellphone up to catch the scene. It was the paramedics carrying Jaejoong towards the ambulance on the stretcher. The camera was shaking and was pixilated, but it was still very easy to make out. Even with it shaking and a blanket draped across most of Jaejoong’s body, the viewers could still see the amount of blood that was coating the blanket and the switchblade protruding from his chest while he was moving his head from side-to-side, obviously pained.

Seeing it become public, Yoochun felt his stomach turn.

The reporter’s voice came flooding from the clip.

“ _This was the scene earlier this evening outside of a Seoul hotel as Dong Bang Shin Ki member Kim Youngwoong Jaejoong was carried out to an ambulance. Police officials and hotel staff are refusing to state anything, but as you can clearly see, the member of Dong Bang Shin Ki was stabbed in the chest.”_

As she continued, the images on the screen continued to show as the other four exited the hotel, escorted by police.

“ _As of how, any information has yet to be disclosed._ ”

The screen changed to a female reporter standing outside of the hospital with her microphone. What looked like a sea of people was surrounding her, some people holding pictures, others holding candles – even more were holding red: Cassiopeia members. The report was now coming live. The wind was blowing and the woman’s hair was flailing everywhere as she continued to deliver her report.

“ _I’m standing outside of the hospital where Youngwoong Jaejoong is currently being held. People – fans – have continued to crowd here outside of the hospital gates, eagerly awaiting word on his condition. No one has yet to hear anything from officials or the members themselves. By the minute, more and more people are continuing to gather here, praying for his safety._ ” There was a loud noise as the wind blew over her microphone. “ _I’m reporter Jin-Lee with KTV and we will keep you posted throughout the night._ ”

In the background, the groups of people were singing one of their, Dong Bang Shin Ki’s, songs. Through the distortion the wind was making, it was hard to decipher what song, but either way, Yoochun did not know whether they were to be thankful or angry. How would they expect Jaejoong to recover if they were constantly trying to interrupt his recovery by wanting to get a story out of it? Though most of the fans were merely concerned, at the moment, he could really have cared less.

He turned back to the machine and retrieved his water before walking back to the Intensive Care Unit’s waiting room, keeping his head towards the floor as people’s eyes followed him. The only thing he was thankful for was that, even though the people in the room were watching him, none of them said anything. When he walked back into the room, Junsu and Changmin were still asleep in the same position and Yunho had lain down across four chairs; his forearm over his eyes to block out light as he had fallen asleep. Yoochun sighed and walked to the next empty seat at Yunho’s feet and sat down. He twisted the cap to the water to open it and took a drink, trying to tune out everything that was going on around them and just focus on Jaejoong’s well-being.

* * *

There was a bang that echoed through the waiting room before loud shouting came about, jerking the members out of sleep. A crash cart was coming through the Intensive Care waiting room; an I.V was already being hooked up as medics continued to usher commands back and forth as they were putting pressure on an abdomen-inflicted wound. The gauze they were using was already doused in blood. The group caught the word ‘gunshot’ before the patient and staff vanished behind the doors.

Yunho fell off of the chairs he had been laying across, forgetting where he had fallen asleep and was looking around, trying to find the source of what had woken him up. Junsu ended up falling off to the side to where he was laying on the chair next to him; Changmin appeared to have hardly moved at all, whereas he was using Junsu’s upper leg as if it were a pillow. Yoochun almost fell when Yunho did because he ended up shifting to where he was sleeping on the other’s leg. It took a moment before they remembered where they were and why, but when they did, they all became alert. Yunho was the first to look at the clock.

Apparently, they had been out of it longer than they thought - the clock was showing ten thirty and their manager was nowhere to be seen. As though they had all been thinking the same thing, they went up to the reception desk, asking about Jaejoong. No sooner had the words escaped their mouths, the doctor from last night came walking through the entrance doors to the room. His timing could not have been better, whereas the woman at the desk could not answer their question without directing them to the doctor himself.

He only nodded to their question.

“We kept him monitored overnight and his condition’s stabilized. We moved him to room 312A.”

He watched as the group nodded, but Yunho asked another question.

“How is he? Is he—?” He furrowed his eyebrows upwards at the unfinished question, obviously showing concern.

“He’s awake,” the doctor said blatantly. He sighed before he continued. “You can go in to see him, but just be aware that the medication we have him on to manage his pain may make him a little incoherent. Now if you’ll excuse me,” he said as he left their presence and vanished behind the two doors to the Intensive Care Unit.

Not much longer after the doctor was out of sight, the group left the waiting room and headed to the lobby. Outside of the main doors was a large group of people and several with cameras. Yoochun glanced outside to see the female reporter from last night; her cameraman had the camera propped on his shoulder as she turned back around the face it, microphone in hand. Junsu pointed to the duo of elevators on the other side of the room, across from the receptionist’s desk. There were two police officers standing on either side of the main door, monitoring for the undesirables to try and walk in.

A nurse with a cart full of medical supplies was already waiting for one of the elevators. She nodded them a ‘good morning’ and they returned the notion as they waited. Finally, the device dinged and it opened, allowing them to step inside. For some reason, there was a vacant gurney in the elevator – messy sheets thrown upon it. The nurse pressed for the second floor and, after asking the boys what floor, pressed for the third floor.

Even with its haste, it seemed to take forever for the device to reach its destinations. After it reached the second floor and the nurse left, each and every second seemed to drag on, and when the doors slid open to introduce them to the third floor, they were all too anxious to abandon it. However, while looking for the appropriate room, they ended up taking a turn down a different corridor and did not realize they went the wrong way until they came upon a door that said ‘Staff Only’.

When they did come outside the correct room, a nurse was injecting something or other into Jaejoong’s I.V – the male himself had a nasal cannula and the I.V was inserted into the vein in his hand rather than the bend of his elbow. Part of the wrap that was around his chest could be seen above the covers, wrapped partially around his shoulder. Bruises were seen around his wrists – obviously from the duct tape. His eyes opened slightly to glance at the nurse who had just extracted the syringe from the I.V tube and capped it before walking to the other end of the room and putting it in Hazardous Waste material box. His eyes did not stay open much longer before they closed again, the medication quickly taking effect.

The overhead light was not on, but the small light above the patient’s bed was. It was the only light that illuminated the room – the curtains having been closed.

The group waited until the nurse came out of the room, but when she did, she looked at them, eyeing them suspiciously. The group only looked at her with confused faces.

“Is there something wrong?” Yoochun spoke up, glancing off to the side at Changmin before bringing his gaze back towards the nurse.

She only shook her head. “I don’t know if anyone else told you, but you need to watch what you say to him. Right now, I wouldn’t worry too much because his pain medication makes him drowsy and may affect his mental state. But – have you spoken to our hospital psychologist, yet?” She watched their perplexed facial expressions, wondering what she was talking about. “I would suggest you talk to her before we take down his dosage,” she said, referring to Jaejoong. “He’s been under sedation since he arrived, so we’re not sure on his mental state. The smallest thing might trigger a breakdown.” She glanced back at Jaejoong as she continued. “The psychologist should be in this afternoon,” she turned back to face the group, “so, you should talk with her.”  

There was a beeping noise that started to go off suddenly; however, while the boys’ were curious as to what the noise was, the nurse just grabbed a cellphone-like device from the pocket of her scrubs.

“Excuse me,” she said before she walked away from them.

For a moment, the group only stared after her, not sure on what to reply to what she had just said – if they should reply with anything. Yunho glanced back into the room to look at Jaejoong who appeared to have gone to sleep after the medication was applied. Through it all, and even though he knew it was only because of the medication, Jaejoong looked so peaceful – his eyes lightly closed as his chest moved up and down with each inhale. Just seeing him sent a pang to the leader’s chest; so much so that he felt nauseated.

Junsu put his hand on Yunho’s shoulder, attracting the other’s attention.

“Yunho…are you going to be all right?” he asked, eyes filled with concern as they drifted back to Jaejoong’s sleeping figure.

Yunho glanced at the floor before his eyes also fell back to the incapacitated member. He shook his head. “I…don’t know. Jaejoong’s here, now, but…maybe not.” He shut his eyes when they started to sting and shook his head again. “None of this should have even happened.” He inhaled before shifting his shoulder to get Junsu to remove his hand. He seemed almost hesitant before he finally walked into the room, the others not following; though, it was more along of the lines that they could not. They stood outside the room, allowing the other to have a few private minutes with Jaejoong – at least for the moment.

Changmin released a partial sigh and, in response, Yoochun put his hand on Changmin’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

Yunho stood next to the bed, eyes gazing at Jaejoong’s serene face.

The calm beauty.

Seeing him like this, it was as if those twenty four hours never even occurred. If it was not for the location and atmosphere surrounding them, it all felt like it could have been only a horrific nightmare – vanishing with the dawn. Yunho brought up his hand and set it on Jaejoong’s forehead, trying to force a smile. He started blinking rapidly as he inhaled, shaking his head.

“Hey, Jaejoong,” he said softly as he began running his hand through Jaejoong’s hair. “How are you feeling?” The other’s eyes did not even twitch; they only remained closed. The only noise was the I.V and the flow of the oxygen through the nasal cannula – Jaejoong’s chest continued to move up and down with each inhale and exhale. Yunho clenched his jaw as his eyebrows began to move upwards and eyes started to redden. “I’m so sorry, Jaejoong.” His eyes began shedding salt water again even though he was trying to contain himself. “I should have believed you and I didn’t.” With his free hand, he grabbed Jaejoong’s and leaned down, pressing his forehead against the other’s.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated as he inhaled, chest shaking as he released it. “It’s my fault,” he said, inhaling again. “This happened to you because of me. Because I was too damn stubborn to listen!” He inhaled sharply. “Please forgive me….”

From outside of the room, the other three were peering through the opened door, their expressions the same. For a moment, the same thought fluttered across their minds and they did not was to walk into the room.

Was the nightmare over?

The most horrific aspects were, but what of the underlying effect?

Every nightmare is awoken from; but the immediate effect is always the same: Fear. Anxiety. And until Jaejoong was off of the medications for his pain, they would not know.

Yoochun was the next to walk into the room. Once again his mind was at a loss. Yunho continued to blame himself, but for what? They all played an important role. Any one of them could have prevented all of this – if they just would have given the oldest member the time of day. They came to have a worry free week at one of the most splendorous hotels in Seoul and instead were taken into a House of Horrors.

Never knowing what to expect.

Not even now.

It was like a hall of mirrors – not knowing which way is in or out. Which turn will take one to their salvation and which will lead to a dead end? And even when the end was in site, running to it only revealed it to be another illusion.

Was this how everything was to play out?

Jaejoong’s sanity would either prove to be a House of Horrors filled with illusions and demons around every corner or a Fun House teeter-tottering between fantasy and reality. The chance of him recovering quickly was slim to none. This, if anything, was what now driving their minds; that and the guilt.

Yoochun walked up to the other side of the bed and put his hand on Jaejoong’s shoulder, staring at the other member. His eyes were staring blankly as his mind drifted off in thought. Junsu was now standing next to him, his hand resting through the covers onto Jaejoong’s ankle. He was staring at Jaejoong’s chest area, eyelids half-closed over his eyes. Changmin was the last through the door, but, unlike the others, he stood back from the bed, as though he was afraid to get too close. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was tense as he looked at the sleeping figure.

For some reason, he could not bring himself to move any closer than where he was. Thoughts continued to trek across his mind that were repelling him from the other member. His posture was defensive.

Jaejoong would awaken soon and no one even knew what they would say to him; or how he would react to them. Would he expel them away from him? Terrified by the demons that surely would be treading his mind? Confusing friend and foe alike?

Only time would tell.


	17. Fragmented Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

“And you understand, yes?”

“Yeah, but what about—”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Junsu bit his lip and shrunk back when the hospital psychologist cut him off. They took the nurse up on her offer and decided to seek out the psychologist while Jaejoong was incapacitated due to the medication. For some reason, Changmin was sinking into the back of the room, not sitting and standing against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. At first, Yunho wanted to stay back in case Jaejoong did wake up sooner than originally anticipated, but after some coaxing from Yoochun and Junsu, he agreed that it was for the best. They would need to know what would be all right to say and what should be avoided – at least until Jaejoong’s mental state recovered. At this point, they still did now know the state of his mind and that was much more concerning than anything.

They were asking the psychologist about what they should do when Jaejoong did come off the medication, and the answer was quite blatant; perhaps more blatant than they wanted. The doctor told them that, for Jaejoong’s sake, it would be best if they did not crowd around him and make him feel enclosed – as if he were trapped with no way out. As though he was back on that bed in the hotel room….

The thought alone was disturbing and one they would rather not think about again anytime soon.

For now, however, it would be best if only two at a time went to see him. The doctor even hinted that it might even be best if only one person at a time would see him. As of now, all the nurses on his watch were female – the thought of having a male nurse on his station was inconceivable.

The end of the conversation came quickly before the psychologist’s pager went off and she was called in to contend with someone. After giving a few more words of advice to the boys, they exited his office and he shut the door after he walked out as well. The door latched shut behind him and he excused himself, leaving their presence. A ways down the hallway, the group saw him talking with a nurse before they both turned down the same corridor. Yunho sighed and rubbed the back of his head, turning to face the rest of the group.

The question now was who would go in to see him first? Or, better yet, who would be best to see him first? Neither one of them wanted to give the indication they cared less about him than another – no. That would be one of the worst things any one of them could do. But how would they setter on an order?

They could take shifts….

Sadly, this was not something time allowed for them to ask the psychologist before she had to hurry off. Yoochun inhaled, heaving a heavy sigh; his shoulders moved with the motion. Junsu bit his bottom lip and darted his eyes between the three while Changmin continued to stand with his arms crossed and shoulders hunched frontward. His eyes never left the ground.

Yoochun broke the silence, his head facing the floor as his eyes trailed to Yunho.

“Hyung,” he started, though he received the attention of both Yunho and Junsu. “Please go and see Jaejoong when he wakes up.” At this, Yunho’s eyes traced the floor, as if searching for a response. Yoochun pulled his head up as he continued. “He needs you…and you need him.” Yunho looked up at him. They made eye contact for a split-second before Yunho glanced back to the floor.

“Yoochun’s right,” Junsu added.

Even still, Yunho did not reply.

He wanted to see and talk to Jaejoong more than anything – to know and hear from the older member would mean so much to him. But at the same time, he still did not even know what to say to him. He had been contemplating on it all night and still came up with nothing. The only thing that continually came into his mind was what he said sarcastically to Yoochun the night before. He was terrified that he would say the wrong thing and push Jaejoong further away and deeper into the recesses of his mind. The mere thought of it had his heart pounding viciously in his chest.

Yoochun and Junsu exchanged glances. Junsu brought up his hand and set it on Yunho’s shoulder again, jerking the other’s attention.

“Come on. Let’s go check, okay?”

Once again, their leader did not give a verbal response, only a nod of the head.

Junsu have a half smile as he patted Yunho’s shoulder before taking his hand back. Yunho clenched his jaw as he looked passed Junsu down the hall and started to walk away from them, heading towards Jaejoong’s room. Yoochun and Junsu stole a quick glance at each other, giving a quizzical look before Yoochun followed after him, treading only a few steps behind. Junsu watched after them as they turned down the same hall the psychologist turned down earlier. He released a long string of breath before looking over to the silent Changmin.

The youngest member had not said a word all morning and it was a bit concerning. He had barely even spoken any last night. Junsu furrowed his eyebrows together.

“Changmin?” The other did not look up at him, but he did look in his general direction, though it was more along the lines that he was looking at his feet. “Are you all right?” The only reply as a nod of the head as Changmin brought his gaze to stare at the floor in front of him. Without a word, he turned on his heel and began walking after Yunho and Yoochun who were would be quite a bit ahead. Expression filled with concern, Junsu swallowed hard before following after him.

By the time he caught up to Changmin, Changmin had already caught up with Yoochun and Yunho and they were coming up on the room.

Inside, the nurse from earlier was just putting back the instruments used to check Jaejoong’s vital signs. The Dong Bang Shin Ki member himself was now awake, though his eyes were only half open. The back of the hospital bed was raised up to where he was borderlined between sitting and laying and he was watching the nurse halfhazardly. Though he was awake, he did not seem completely coherent – the doctor told them the medications would make him a bit unstable. They saw the nurse’s mouth move when she spoke, but she was out of earshot. Jaejoong did not give a verbal reply; he only blinked – a very slow blink. She gave him a smile before she grabbed the bucket with the instruments and walked out of the room, passing the other four members that stood outside. She gave them a nod of acknowledgement before returning to the Nurse’s Station around the corner.

When they looked back into the room, Jaejoong’s eyes were still half-closed as he stared at the blank television that was attached to the upperwall across the foot of the bed. Outside of the room, Yoochun gave Yunho a slight nudge in his back to push him forward a bit. After a moment’s hesitation, the leader inhaled and stepped into the room, the other three taking a step backwards. Even seeing Jaejoong awake, the only thing that arose within him was an urge to release the sting from his eyes.

He still did not know what to say.

He tried to wipe the expression from his face, but the muscles would not heed his command. So instead, he took a small breath and took a step forward towards the bed.

“Hey…Jaejoong,” Yunho drew out awkwardly.

Jaejoong’s eyes travelled from the blank television screen and down the wall before he slightly turned his head to look at the speaker. Again, he slowly shut his eyelids over his eyes, then opened them back. His lips moved slightly, but no words accompanied them. He turned his head back to look in front of him as Yunho walked closer to him. When he stood next to the bed, just out of reflex, he went to touch Jaejoong’s arm, but then Jaejoong flinched the moment the contact was made. Yunho jerked his hand back, but Jaejoong’s hollow expression stayed the same.

A sudden pang hit Yunho in the chest.

So close they were to each other, but the distance between them could not have been further.

He noticed as Jaejoong’s body tensed; his hands started to shiver slightly.

It was then that, seeing Jaejoong’s almost vacant stare, that Yunho knew what to say. So simple, but….

“Jaejoong,” Yunho started softly. Jaejoong did not turn his head to look at him, but he did glance sideways at him, avoiding eye contact. Yunho suddenly felt nervous, but continued. “You’re going to be okay, Jaejoong.”

At this, Jaejoong’s eyes dropped back in front of him and his mouth opened slightly. He partially turned his head in Yunho’s direction as his eyes traced everything in front of him. Only a few seconds passed and then he completely turned his head to face Yunho. His eyebrows were starting to furrow upwards as he stared at the leader’s chest before looking up and making eye contact. His eyes continued to search around as his lips started moving again; however, this time, he managed to speak.

“W-What?”

With his own eyebrows furrowed upwards, Yunho smiled at him, his eyes starting shimmer. “You’re going to be okay.” When he said it again, Jaejoong’s eyes began glazing over as they became red. As his bottom lip started to quiver, he shut his mouth and, still keeping their eyes locked, tears started falling down his face. He pulled his head back to look in front of him as his mouth fell back open, his bottom lip still quivering as his eyes continued to search around. When Yunho repeated the line for the third time, Jaejoong turned back to look at him, but let his eyes search around before looking back up.

Yunho still had the reassuring smile on his face.

Jaejoong started to move his mouth again as he tried to speak, and began shaking his head, though slightly. He inhaled sharply as he continued to shake his head. Finally, he managed to speak.

“I didn’t want it,” he said in practically a whisper.

It took all of Yunho’s strength to not let his own liquid seap from his ducts. He just nodded, still keeping his expression. He brought up his left hand again and started running his fingers through Jaejoong’s hair. The other did not flinch this time. “I know, Jaejoong. I know.”

Jaejoong’s breath was starting to quiver as he continually shook his head. “I really didn’t want it, Yunho…I really didn’t.”

The strain was unbearable. Pulling forward, Yunho wrapped his arms around Jaejoong, embracing him. “I know.” Bringing up his arms, Jaejoong wrapped them around Yunho’s back, halfway concealing his face. As Jaejoong continued to say the same thing, Yunho could no longer hold his emotions and shut his eyes as tears dripped down his face. He kissed the top of Jaejoong’s head before slightly rocking him back and forth in a reassuring manner.

* * *

Outside of the room, Yoochun stood with his arms crossed as he peered into the room; his eyebrows were up, making creases in his forehead. Junsu brought up his hands to wipe at his face as he inhaled and turned away from the door panel, tearing his gaze from watching. Yoochun glanced his direction, but his gaze was quickly drawn back to Yunho and Jaejoong. Though they could not hear anything, seeing was well enough. Junsu walked away from him, dragging his arms over his eyes as he wiped at them before bringing his arm back down. Changmin was sitting on the floor a few feet down the hall. He had his knees bent and his forearms set upon them as he stared blankly at the wall in front of him.

Junsu looked back at Yoochun as the other member, while still looking inside the room, suddenly pointed to himself and mouthed the word ‘me’. A confused look was playing on his face. He paused a moment before blinking twice and then nodding, his hand still placed on his chest. He glanced back to Junsu and Changmin (the youngest still not paying attention) and gave an almost forced half-smile that was accompanied by a slight nod before he turned back and vanished within the room.

Junsu brought his attention back to Changmin after releasing a silent sigh; the other still seemed vacant and oblivious to everything going on around him. He put his hand on the wall to balance himself as he crouched down next to the other member before turning to press his back against the wall and slide down into a sitting position. He bent his left knee and set his hand on it as he allowed his head to lightly hit the wall. He stared in front him for a moment when he ceased before turning and looking at Changmin. Junsu leaned over and nudged the other with his shoulderl; the other’s body only shifted due to the small tap.

“Changmin,” Junsu drew out as he bent his head down to look into Changmin’s face. “What’s wrong? Don’t you want to go in to see Jaejoong?” he asked as he kept his tone light. The only response was a slight shift as Changmin pulled his knees closer to his chest. Junsu pursed his lips together, then glanced back towards the room.

No one was entering or exiting.

“I can’t—”

Junsu jerked his head back to face the other.

Changmin still had not moved.

Junsu gave him a queried look. Changmin inhaled and hit the back of his head against the wall as Junsu had done moments prior. He released his breath in one quick exhale before turning to face Junsu; his eyes were beginning to glaze over as they made eye contact. Junsu did not even know how to respond to the look.

Changmin bit his bottom lip as he spoke again.

“I can’t see hyung like this, Junsu,” he said as his eyes started to redden. He inhaled again. “I just can’t.”

When his eyes started to water, Junsu gave a sympathetic look. Why Changmin was so quiet was beginning to make sense. They always knew that Changmin became silent whenever he was angry, but since this situation – or anything similar to it – never arose, no one knew what any of their reactions would be. As Changmin’s eyes began shedding, Junsu brought up his left arm and wrapped it around Changmin’s shoulders, pulling the younger male to where Changmin’s head was on Junsu’s chest.

He began rubbing Changmin’s arm as the other inhaled sharply again.

“They care about each other so much, Junsu,” he continued, referring to Yunho and Jaejoong. “And it’s not fair.”

Junsu did not even know how to reply or what to reply with. It was true that the two oldest members cared much about each other, but how much was always left to be determined. Some of the things they did had the others question them (even more so with the fans). It always had them question what was just fanservice and what was more than that. There was always certainly enough of it floating around on the internet – more and more was showing up everyday. What between the fanfictions and fan-videos, it was no wonder people always questioned their relationship.

But was this truly what was upsetting Changmin so much?

Or was there more to it than that?

There was another inhale from the younger member.

“Hyung didn’t deserve any of this.” His speech was starting to flow downward to where it was just barely above a whisper. “Why, Junsu?”

Junsu still did not reply. The only thing to even enter into his mind was:

“I don’t know.”

He glanced back towards the room to see if anyone was coming in or out. The door frame still stood bare; although a doctor did walk down the hallway talking to a nurse about something. They turned down the corridor before reaching the two sitting on the floor. Junsu looked back to Changmin just as the other member grabbed his hand, gripping it tightly.

“I can’t do it…,” he repeated.

Not a moment after he spoke the words, Junsu saw someone exit the room through his peripheral vision. He glanced over quickly to see Yoochun walking out. When the older member saw Junsu and Changmin, he quickly turned his back towards them and took a few steps away from the door. He brought up his hands, and though Junsu could not see what he was doing, he could very well assume. His thoughts were confirmed when he noticed that Yoochun’s shoulders heaved up and down slightly. He was like that for only a few moments, but he finally brought his hands down.

Taking an inhale, he turned back around, facing the other two. He started to walk over to them, but not before glancing back inside the room, stealing another look at the oldest members – or at least that was what Junsu assumed he was doing. He gave a curious look as he approached them and nodded towards the youngest member, as if silently asking Junsu what was wrong. Junsu could only shake his head, shrugging slightly with a borderlined worried look on his face.

Changmin suddenly did another sharp inhale, causing Yoochun to jump at the unexpected sound.

Changmin released his deathgrip on Junsu’s hand and sat up straight, forcing Junsu to remove his arm from around the his shoulders. He wiped at his eyes with the palms of his hands and sniffed, trying to clear his face away from any evidence that he had been crying. Junsu and Yoochun could only look at him sympathetically as he did; neither one of them knew what to say.

That seemed to be common amongst all of the members – being at a loss for words.

Seeming to act as if nothing had ever happened, Changmin took to his feet, standing straight and pulling down his shirt that had flipped up in the back. Without a word, he walked away from the other two, leaving them with confused expressions. Yoochun looked back to Junsu who was about to stand up, so he offered a helpful hand and hoisted the other to his feet. After watching Changmin walk back down the hall, Junsu brought his attention to Yoochun.

“Changmin?” Yoochun asked before Junsu was able to get a word out. The meaning behind the question was obvious.

Junsu only shrugged, not knowing what to respond with. “How’s Jaejoong?” Junsu asked as Yoochun glanced over towards Changmin. The youngest member was standing outside of the door, his shoulder pressed against the wall as if he was debating whether or not he wanted to go in.

“Apprehensive,” Yoochun replied bluntly. “Defensive.... Don’t know…how else for him to be…,” Yoochun trailed off, as if his own words were causing guilt.

Junsu only nodded, biting his lip as he did.

It was not until early afternoon that the nurse finally returned to the room to administer his pain medication. She would not have had to supply it to him at all, but while Junsu and Yunho were in the room, Jaejoong started to look uncomfrotable (or even more uncomfortable that he already felt) and suddenly began grabbing his chest – on the borderline of screaming. The meds from earlier that morning had finally worn and he began feeling the effects from the surgery. Junsu had started hitting the ‘call’ button and Yunho ran to the door just as the nurse came in. They almost collided into each other. Once she adminstered the medication through the I.V, Jaejoong calmed down almost instantly – he ended up falling asleep not much longer afterwards.

Junsu asked what the medication they were giving Jaejoong was, but the nurse said she was not allowed to discuss that information with anyone other than Jaejoong himself or a guardian (their manager, perhaps?).

However, unlike before where they had to leave the room to track down the psychologist, this time the members stayed. Yunho ended up grabbing a chair from the outside hallway and set it next to the bed so he could stay by Jaejoong’s side. His hand was holding the other member’s. Yoochun and Junsu stole the couch that was against the wall on the opposite wall as the door; and Changmin just sat on the floor against the wall at the foot of the bed. He did not have his knees to his chest this time, but had them sprawled out in front of him, almost making a speed bump for anyone wanting to walk by him.

For a while, they all sat in silence; just listening to the constant drip of Jaejoong’s I.V and flow through the nasal cannula. Yunho continued to run his thumb over Jaejoong’s knuckles, though the other was still incapacitated. At some point, Junsu got up to leave the room to get something to drink for himself and the other members, and was careful to step over Changmin who refused to move; or he was just not paying attention. Junsu could not tell which. When he came back, holding three waters, he failed to step over the youngest member and, instead, stepped on Changmin’s lower leg. From surprise, the other member released a shout, causing Junsu to jump and fall – the three waters skidded away from him.

They did not know who was to apologize, so they both did. Yoochun bit his lip to hold back a snicker while Yunho gave them a small glare, as if to tell them to be quiet so as not to wake Jaejoong. That was highly unlikely, whereas the meds that the nurse had given him would keep him knocked out for a few hours. At one point, Junsu was just thankful that the waters was bottled.

A little later on that afternoon, two officials knocked on the door post to get the boys’ attention. They all turned to look at them and Yoochun and Junsu stood from their sitting postion on the couch. The officials looked at Jaejoong and, after they were told he was asleep, walked into the room.

“Is there something wrong?” Yoochun asked, being the first to speak.

One of the officials, a rather stout man, glanced to Jaejoong again before bringing his attention back to Yoochun.

“We have information reguarding the man who…,” the official did not finish his sentence. It was more likely that he did not wish to.

The members exchanged glances.

On many ways, they wanted to know about the sick bastard who could do this to another human being; but on the other hand, they did not want to give that same man the satisfaction that they even cared.

“We’ve already explained this to your manager. He asked that we personally tell you – first hand,” the other official, who was more broad, spoke.

They were hesitant, but Yunho broke it.

“I just want to know why,” he said as he looked from Jaejoong to the official, his face stern. The look was almost fearful; a look that they had never seen play on their leader’s face before. Even the officials seemed uneasy about it. It did not stop them, however, from continuing.

“The man’s name was Lee Kwan-Seung and was the vice president of Chouxiang International.” The boys looked at the officials strangely for this, whereas that was a Chinese enterprise. The next question was definitely going to follow along the lines of what had the man travel so far. “Apparently, he was relieved of his position in the past week. He was the primary suspect in a murder trial three years ago and was linked to a violent raping and beating of a young woman six years ago. He was released on a techincality.” The officials exhanged glances with each other before the other continued.

“What we suspect brought him to Jaejoong was his wife…well, ex-wife,” the official stated with a shrug. This received even stranger looks from the members. “His ex-wife was found dead at the foot of a stairwell about eight years ago. We made the connection that the reason he targeted the other women and Jaejoong was because they resembled his wife.”

“We assume something in his brain chemistry snapped after her death.”

“But that still doesn’t explain why he did what he did,” Yunho interrupted. He looked back to Jaejoong and ran his hand through the oldest member’s hair. “No one goes around killing and raping people because their spouse died!” he snapped at the two.

The stout official looked nervous, but the broader one cut in. “We’re still looking into his past. Past family abuse, drug history – the whole nine yards.” He watched as Yunho scoffed and return his attention back to Jaejoong. “We’ll keep you posted when we fing out further information.”

Not seeming to get another response from Yunho, Yoochun took over for him.

“Thank you,” he replied.

That seemed to be all the officials asked for and they bowed to the boys before they left the room.

So many more questions traced their minds.

Yoochun and Junsu looked back to Yunho, who had not even taken his gaze away from the oldest member. There was more to the story and, as much as they found it nauseating, they wanted to know every detail. No one with a stable mentality could do what they did to any human being – male, female, old, young. It did not matter. They knew it would be painful to know, but the uneasiness would not settle until they did.  Until that time, they would just have to wait.  


	18. Insane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

The rest of the afternoon fell tediously by. The only clock in the room continued to tick, as if it was working against them – each second felt like milliseconds dragging by. Every movement that came from Jaejoong, whether it was only a mere twitch or groan, would have them jump and advert their gazes to him as if they were expecting more. Changmin had vacated the room not much longer after the officials had taken their leave; where he gone off to, know one knew. After an hour passed and the youngest member had still not returned to the room, Yoochun offerred to go search for him, but Junsu ended up being the one to go off looking. Though Yoochun was quizzical, he left matters alone.

Yunho had not spoken a word since his dismissal attitude towards the officials. He had not even moved from Jaejoong’s side, as though he was rooted to the spot, tearing at the seams if he even shifted.

Later that evening, after it had already grown dark though the curtains of the room, a nurse had come in to check on Jaejoong’s condition and see if he had stirred any. Seeing that he was still sleeping, she was practically shooed out of the room by Yoochun after she told him that a new nurse would be taking over her shift within the hour. Junsu and Changmin had still not returned and Yunho had fallen asleep on the edge of the bed – much like a student would over their desk during class. Now wondering about the two absent members, and since the others were sleeping soundly, Yoochun walked quietly out of the room.

Even at night the hospital was restless, but that was to be expected. He passed by a duo that appeared to be a mother and daughter. The woman was carrying a group of balloons while the girl, who looked to be no older than eight, had both of her arms wrapped around a very large flower vase, looking as though she might fall any minute. The vase itself was filled with white and pink carnations.

He came up on the Nurse’s Station at the end of the hall and, seeing him look around, one of the nurses called to him.

“Excuse me,” she said, getting his attention. He jerked his head towards her and she continued. “Are you looking for your friends?” He nodded. The nurse pointed down the hall towards the elevator. “They were headed to the Cafeteria…but that was a few hours ago. You could check,” she said, shrugging slightly. “They still might be there.”

“Thank you,” he replied, receiving a nod from the nurse. He turned on his heel and began walking towards the elevator, pressing the switch when he came up on it. It was not until the elevator arrive and he was in it with the doors shut, that he realized he did not even know where the cafeteria was. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. The device descended to its destination on the first floor and dinged to signal that it had come to a halt; the doors slid open to let him off and as he did, a nurse carrying a basket filled with items for bloodwork passed him to step in.

He heard the elevator doors shut behind him as he turned to look around the main hall of the hospital. To his right were the vending machines – the same DASANI vending machines he had gone to the night before. He could see the doors to the Emergency Room on the other side and the main doors continued to introduce people. Outside, he could see the crowd from last night, though that same crowd had appeared to multiply. It did not appear that the paparazzi were going to give up any time soon, either, whereas the majority of people in the front were paparazzi.

He released another breath and looked around for the Nurse’s Station, but received his answer when he saw a sign for the cafeteria nailed to the wall next to a door to his left. Just like last night, people’s attention was drawn to him, but he ignored the stares and walked towards the marked door, vanishing quickly through them. This introduced him to yet another hallway with what appeared to be doctors’ offices behind clear doors. There were opaque doors as well, but it was quick to mark those as Janitor Closets. More nurses and doctors crowded this hallway than any of the previous halls. He walked down the hall and glanced into one of the rooms; it was full of medical supplies. A male doctor, that was talking to another doctor at the ahead intersection, glanced at Yoochun and, seeing his confused face, called to him.

“Cafeteria’s around the corner,” he said. When Yoochun looked at him, he only pointed down the hall from where he was standing.

Yoochun thanked him and followed the hall around the corner. Sure enough, at the end of the hallway were two glass doors that were marked in red lettering, reading ‘Cafeteria’. He approached them and grabbed the handle, pulling the door open and stepping inside.

Oddly enough, the hospital’s cafeteria resembled much of a college campus’s cafeteria with booths along the back and side walls and smaller, round tables scattered everywhere else. A café layout was to the left, with a glass case that surrounded the foods they did have. He scanned the room for Junsu and Changmin among the few other people that were already there, and ended up spotting them sitting at a booth towards the back.

Changmin had both of his hands around a small cup; his head was down, making it impossible for Yoochun to see his face. From his angle, Junsu had his back to him, but he could still see his jaw move. The noise from dishes clinking together and others chatting blocked out his voice. He bit his bottom lip before making his way over.

“…what to do,” Changmin finished responding to Junsu as Yoochun approached the table.  

Junsu sighed and shook his head before acknowledging the other’s presence. He looked up at him, his eyes searching curiously before finally speaking.

“Is he okay?” were the first words to escape from his mouth. This had Changmin jerk his head up to stare at Yoochun as well, but the older member just nodded.

“He’s fine,” Yoochun replied, receiving an air of relief among the other two. “He and Yunho are both sleeping. I was just…worried about you two.” This had them give Yoochun a curious stare. “You guys have been gone hours, you know.”

Junsu’s eyebrows raised, as if he did not believe it. “Has it been that long?” He released a breath at Yoochun’s nod and ran his hand through his hair. Looking back at Yoochun, he knitted his eyebrows together. “What time is it?”

The response was a semi-shrug. “About eight…thirty.”

A scoff from Changmin made Yoochun jump, whereas he was not expecting the sudden noise. “Two days,” was all he said as he pushed back from the table, leaning back on the bench with his arms crossed over his chest.

Yoochun only blinked and gave a quizzical look. “Two…days?”

Changmin just shook his head, his stare becoming blank. “Nothing….” This did not stop Yoochun’s concerned loo, but Junsu attracted his attention when he looked towards the cafeteria’s entrance. Both Yoochun and Changmin turned to see what suddenly had his gaze and what they saw was Yunho outside of the two glass doors talking to a doctor. He was seen nodding to the man before opening one of the doors and entering. He did the same as Yoochun and looked around the lunch hall for the group. When he spotted them, he began making his way over. Changmin leaned forward again, set his elbows on the table and put his hands on the back of his head, looking back at the table.

“Woke up and no one else was in the room,” Yunho spoke as he approached the table.

“And Jaejoong?” was the immediate response.

Yunho just shook his head. “He’s still out.” He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “I just want to make it back before he wakes up, though.”

The group nodded. While Jaejoong was asleep, he was peaceful; at least from what they could see. What was going on through his mind, they had naught the slightest notion. They did know what (or some of what) was going on while he was awake. Minimal pain from the surgery, whereas they medications diminished most of the pain, and mental anxiety were the only speculations. The entire experience was like a game with a ticking time bomb – the slightest thing might set it off.

“I didn’t want to leave for that reason, but I wanted to know where you all ran off to.”

“Same reason why I left,” Yoochun added in. Yunho only nodded to this.

Yunho furrowed his eyebrows when he saw Changmin. “Are you guys all right?” he asked, referring to both of the younger members.

Changmin only nodded his head, not saying a word. Junsu’s reaction was much the same before he looked up at Yunho and glanced back and forth between both him and Yoochun.

“We can go ahead and head back up to the room.” Yoochun nodded at this; as did Yunho, though his gaze was fixated on Changmin. “It’s been a while since they gave him his meds. Shouldn’t he be waking up soon?” Junsu’s question attracted Yunho’s look as well and the older member did not hesitate to nod. “Okay, then,” Junsu said as he stood. Changmin took to his feet as well after he leaned back and sighed, popping his back in several locations along the spine.

They exited the cafeteria and walked out into the hallway that was still crowded with doctors and nurses. A duo of people came through, passing them in the hall as they went to the caferteria and, after nodding to a doctor that acknowledged them, headed to the elevator. They were on the elevator with a doctor and a nurse who were chatting about a patient with a brain tumor and prepping him for surgery. They were still on the elevator when the device stopped to let the boys off.

They began walking the hall to Jaejoong’s room, but Yunho put his hand on Junsu’s shoulder to hold him back. Changmin and Yoochun had already started a ways ahead before Junsu turned to look at their leader, his face quizzical. Yunho looked up and watched as both of the other members vanished around a corner before he spoke.

“What’s going on with Changmin,” Yunho asked as he brought his hand down.

Junsu sighed, seeming to have anticipated the question. He met Yunho’s eyes as he replied. “He’s just worried about Jaejoong…like we all are.” He could tell by the look in Yunho’s eyes that their leader knew there was more to it. Yet, Junsu refused to release more information. “It’s up to him,” Junsu answered the unasked question, referring to Changmin.

Yunho left it at that, not wanting to press the matter any further. If the youngest wanted him to know, he would tell him…or he would not.

They picked up walking again and ended up catching up to Changmin and Yoochun who had, apparently, slowed down their walking pace. They had become familiar with the halls by this point, so backtracking to the hospital room was not nearly as difficult as it had been previously.

As they started down the hall that was adjacent to the oldest member’s room, they suddenly jumped when they heard yelling coming from the same room. At once, they looked at each other before running down the hall to the room.

What they came to see was a male nurse with a cart holding up his hands in a defensive state. Jaejoong was absent from the bed and, instead, was in the corner of the room, holding up what looked like a bed pan as if it were a shield…or a weapon. Items that had been in it were scattered – including a roll of gauze and a small box of tissues. Blood was trickling down his forearm from the I.V. The machine itself was on the other side of the bed, still distributing liquid. Apparently, Jaejoong had ripped the entire thing out of his arm.

He swung the pan, backing up further into the corner; his expression was wide – fearful.

“Stay back!” he shouted, voice fretful. His eyes were widened to their exent and, even though Jaejoong himself seemed to be unaware, tears were streaming down his face.

“I – I’m not going to hurt you,” the male nurse stuttered.

The group was confused at what was going on, but the syringe in the nurse’s hand said it all; the needle extended from it. It was obvious that the nurse was caught off guard, not expecting Jaejoong’s reaction.

“Stay away from me!” he shouted again, swinging the pan forcefully back and forth in front of him.

The disturbance from the happenings ended up attracting other staff members and a trio ended up shoving past the other members to enter the room. There was already a small crowd forming outside filled with other staff, as well as some patients from other rooms and their family. Heads were poking out of doors, trying to find out what was going on.

“What are you doing?” Yunho cried out at the male nurse who still had not moved. One of the other staff members held their arm out in front of Yunho to keep him from coming any further into the room.

“Sir, please,” the female staff member, that was keeping Yunho blocked, said to him.

“A needle? Are you serious?!” Changmin blurted out. He jerked his head towards the male nurse. “You can’t show him a needle!”

Though only Junsu and Changmin knew why, it was apparent that Yoochun and Yunho understood to a point, though perhaps not the exact reason. When one of the staff tried to take a step towards the fretting member, Jaejoong chucked the bed pan at them and ran back towards the bed, practically hurdling over it to the other side of the room. The pan ended up hitting the wall with a crash. It was obvious the rush he was experiencing was an adrenaline rush. When someone else took and involuntary step forward, Jaejoong ended up pulling the phone from the wall and hurling it at them, or at least towards them. The phone hit the floor.

He was frantic and his chest was vibrating heavily up and down. He brought his hands to hold his head as he just started screaming over and over. Yelling at the staff to get out and screaming ‘help’ and ‘leave me alone’ repeatedly.

It was not noticeable at first, but crimson was starting to be seen through the scrubs. This had the staff and the members on alert, terrified that Jaejoong was ripping his stiches open too much.

Yunho took another step forward and as the same nurse went to stop him, he just held up his hand to signal that it was all right. Though she seemed hesitant, she allowed him to pass and nodded to the other two staff members in the room to give the notion that it was okay. The room was obviously tense with Jaejoong’s hysteric yells and cries. Getting near him to give him a sedative seemed like an impossibility, but they were willing to try anything.

The staff took a step backwards as Yunho tried approaching Jaejoong, his hands slightly in front of him to offer a more passive side. He watched Jaejoong continually shake his head as he began pacing back and forth before inhaling.

“Jaejoong,” he called out to him in a soothing voice. The only response he received was Jaejoong violently shaking his head. “Jaejoong, you have to calm down, okay?” He was trying to keep his voice as calm as possible, not wanting to cause a sudden flare in the oldest’s actions. “No one’s here to hurt you.” At this, Jaejoong tensed. This caused the entire room to do the same, not knowing what to expect; but somehow, Yunho managed to keep calm. Yunho turned his head to look at the others in the room and made the ‘backup’ motion with his hand. The three staff members backed up towards the door, though still tense.

Yunho brought his attention back to Jaejoong. “Look, Jaejoong. It’s just me,” he continued in the same soothing voice. Still shaking, Jaejoong slowly brought his gaze to Yunho, meeting his eyes. He shook his head roughly again. “You trust me, right?” He waited for a response before he continued. The response he received was Jaejoong’s eyes shifting to look at the other people in the room before looking back to Yunho, eyes quivering. His mouth was moving inaudibly, mouthing, ‘I don’t know’.

“Jaejoong, please,” Yunho said, eyes beginning to glaze over. “I’m not going to hurt you. I won’t let anyone hurt you…I promise.”

By this point, the entire front of Jaejoong’s hospital robe was stained red.

Jaejoong’s lips started moving again and he got out a barely heard, “Y – Yunho?”

Yunho only forced a smile and nodded, trying not to let his emotions take over. “That’s right. I’m here, Jaejoong.”

Jaejoong slowly brought his hands down until they were level with his shoulders. He shook his head slightly. “I don’t feel so good,” he said weakly.

Yunho’s expression dropped as the other began swaying back and forth before finally falling forward. It was only by shear luck that Yunho’s feet decided to move so he caught him before Jaejoong hit the floor. Blood began seeping onto Yunho’s clothes as he jerked his head towards the staff that was already coming to aid.

“Help-!” was all he was able to get out before they were all at his side. One of the nurses grabbed their cellphone-type device and spoke into it, calling for a crash cart. 

It had all happened so quickly. They pushed passed the members with a crash cart and had to load an unconscious Jaejoong onto it. Blood had completely covered the front part of his robe and they were trying to get him re-hooked up to an I.V as they rushed him out of the room, back to surgery. Yunho had Jaejoong’s blood on his hands and all over the front part of his clothes; he was shaking as he rubbed at his face and the others’ reactions were no different.

For the second time in two days, they were back in the Emergency Room’s waiting room. It had only been an hour when a doctor came out to tell them Jaejoong had torn his stitches open rather severely. That was something they had already figured out on their own and Yunho had the urge to give a sarcastic comment, but refrained from doing so. The medical personnel continued and said that they would return him back to the room once they finished repairing the stitches, but that they would keep him sedated to avoid a similar incident; or at least until the injury would heal enough to where they would not have to be concerned with it being torn open again so easily. For now, they would keep in the Intensive Care Unit to make sure he was stabilized.

It was for the best, yes; but this made the boys’ hearts sink. Just when they thought that he was at least on the road to recovery, such an extreme scenario had to take place. Now, they did not know what to expect.

A television was turned on in the corner of the room. They did not notice it last night with everything else that was going on – that and the fact they were the only ones in the room almost the entire night. There were other people populating the room this time, though not by much. That changed soon enough. A cart carrying a high school female wearing a cheerleading uniform was being pushed in; she was groaning and kept saying to one of the paramedics that it was just an accident. Not much longer after that, perhaps minutes, a group of seven other females wearing identical outfits came strolling in – the other’s cheer squad.

They were talking in hurried voices. One of the girl’s were overheard talking about how she did not mean to drop her, but she lost her grip. Someone else commented about how they hoped she did not break anything and went on about a meet they had in a week.

With all of them talking, it was difficult to tune them out; so when one of the girls told them to be quite for a minute, it was a little shocking. Yoochun could not help but look up to see what had them quiet all of the sudden and he saw them staring at the television. He craned his neck to see what it was that had their attention and saw a familiar site.

The channel was turned onto the news, but it was the same scene as last night and earlier that evening. One of the cheerleaders reached up to turn the volume up to where it was audible to where even the group could hear it. It was turned onto the same station that the foyer had it turned to last night.

“ _We’re still standing outside of the hospital where Dong Bang Shin Ki member Kim Youngwoong Jaejoong is still being held. People have continued to gather and it doesn’t appear that this crowd will be dispersing any time soon._ ” The reporter was the same female reporter that was covering the story the previous night. “ _We have received information from an anonymous source giving us some inside information on what transpired._ ”

The television screen switched to the same video taken from someone’s cellphone yesterday evening. It was still horrible quality, but the video of Jaejoong being ushered out of the hotel on a gurney was obvious. Even with the quality, they were still able to see the blood coming from beneath the blanket and the elevated area by his chest that was the knife. The reporter’s voice came flooding back out.

“ _Our source has told us that Kim Jaejoong was stabbed in the chest by this man._ ” As she finished her sentence, a picture of Lee Kwan-Seung covered the screen before it zoomed into the corner of the screen, showing the female reporter once again. “ _Lee Kwan-Seung of Chouxiang International. How he managed to get close enough to stab the member has not been made clear, but we have confirmed that Kwan-Seung was shot and killed upon impact._ ” The image of Kwan-Seung disappeared from the corner of the screen.

By now, everyone in the Emergency Room’s waiting room was looking up at the television – even the boys. Changmin was staring at the screen almost in disbelief, as if asking why they could not just leave them alone. Yunho’s expression was quite different. His face was stern, as if he might get up and tear the television from the wall. Junsu’s look was similar, but Yoochun was acting more like Changmin.

“ _We have with us one of the hotel staff members that has offered to give us a little bit more information than what we have to go by._ ” The cameraman zoomed out to where both the reporter and the nurse were visible on the screen. The reporter turned to face her. “ _So, Cho was it?_ ” The woman nodded. The woman’s face was very familiar. It was their waitress from the night Jaejoong was abducted. The same woman they were joking around with about their order. “ _What can you tell us about what went on?_ ”

“ _Well,_ ” she started, but a gust of wind caught both her’s and the reporter’s hair, causing it to fly everywhere. She pushed her hair back behind her ears before continuing. “ _I was their waitress – not last night, obviously, but the night before. When I came to their table, Jaejoongsshi had left – I think to go to the restroom. I remember that they were joking around, saying that he was probably trying to climb out of the bathroom window. You know how like in movies, they always joke about the girl going to the bathroom to ditch her date and tries to get out through the bathroom window?_ ” This actually received a slight chuckle from the reporter and Cho herself.

“ _We’ve all been there at one point or another,_ ” Jin-Lee, the reporter, said light-heartedly.

One of the female cheerleaders in the waiting room commented, asking how they can joke with something so horrible.

“ _Well, I assume it was shortly after that, because when I came to check back up on them, Yoochun and Yunho were absent. It couldn’t have been thirty minutes after that, but the hotel started swarming with police and they were questioning everyone – including myself. Asking questions like when the last time we had seen Jaejoong and if we remembered anything out of the ordinary._ ”

“ _Did you remember anything strange?_ ” Jin-Lee asked, voice curious.

Cho only shrugged. “ _There really wasn’t anything that I could recall. But apparently, that man-_ “

“ _Lee Kwan-Seung._ ”

“ _-abducted Jaejoong. It all went down for about a day before they found him. I was on shift when they did and I just remember seeing Jaejoong being brought out of the elevator. They were tossing a sheet over him, probably to coneal him—_ ”

“ _Probably._ ”

“— _from unwanted attention. It didn’t look like he had a shirt on or anything from the glimpse I got, so I don’t know what that was about. I guess that man stabbed him while he was en route or something._ ” She paused as another gust of wind caught her hair. “ _They were hauling the man’s body out of the elevator moments after – zipped up in a bag._ ”

“ _And now we can only hope for the best._ ” There seemed to be an awkward silence between them and the air in the waiting room was not much different. The reporter cleared her throat before nodding her head. “ _Well, thank you for talking to us, Cho._ ” Cho did a slight bow and thanked the reporter before she vanished from the screen, the cameraman now focused only on Jin-Lee.

As she began to repeat her lines saying that they would be covering the story through the night, people were starting to tear their gaze away from the television. Others were picking up conversations they were having before becoming distracted, while others said nothing and went silent again. Even the high school cheerleaders stayed quiet for a second before talking in hurried whispers to each other. Apparently, where they were distracted by worrying over their friend’s condition, they did not notice that the group the reporter was talking about was sitting in the room.

Their topic of conversation switched from their friend to Jaejoong and they started to discuss their scenarios of what they think occurred. They were on the subject for a few minutes. Yunho had his hands on the back of his head, facing the floor; his jaw was clenched, obviously becoming annoyed at their decided source of discussion. Yoochun swallowed when he saw their leader’s reaction, but even he could not bring himself to speak up. Changmin now had a blank stare on his face as he stared at the floor in front of him, his eyes unblinking; and Junsu had his head resting on the back of the chair, eyes staring at the ceiling.

“—maybe he was—”

“Oh, don’t even think of something like that,” one of the girls cut off her friend’s speech as she lightly hit her in the shoulder, causing her friend to jerk. The girl did not have to finish her sentence for everyone to know what she meant. All of the boys’ posture became tense at the mere thought, though they were the only ones to truly know.

“Yeah, Gajee! That’s not even funny.”

“I never said it was funny,” the original speaker said as she brought up her hands in a defensive stance. “I’m just saying that it…might have been….” She trailed off as one of the other members shook their head.

“Please. That’s impossible,” one of the other girls spoke as she crossed her arms. The others turned to look at her, curious looks playing on their faces.

Gajee put her hands on her hips and raised one of her eyebrows. “And why’s that? Do you know something we don’t?”

The other only shook her head and suddenly looked smug. “No, because everyone knows that Yunho oppa would protect him.”

The moment she spoke that, Junsu, Yoochun and Changmin’s eyes shot open, their mouths matching. Changmin turned his head to look at Yunho, who had removed his hands from holding the back of his head and was now staring at the floor with his eyebrows continually shifting upwards. Even Yoochun and Junsu had their gaze on their leader, faces unchanging.

“Yunho,” Junsu started but was unable to get much more out, whereas Yunho suddenly stood up, his face looking as though he might go on a homicidal spree. “Hyung,” he sputtered out, about reading to spring to his own feet, but Yunho held up his hand to signal for him to stop.

“I’m fine,” he said, voice oddly bland for his body language. “I just…I’ll be right back. I need to wash up.” With that said, he crossed the waiting room, passing the high schoolers, before walking out to the main hall through the entry doors.  

All the girls turned when the saw movement and the last girl to speak pulled her hands up to cover her mouth. Once Yunho had left the room, a few of the girls looked in the direction he had come from to see the other three members. All of those that looked jerked their heads to face the floor, not wanting to look back up.

“Nice, Jiyuu. Nice,” Gajee said, shaking her head.

The girl did not remove her hands from her mouth, only turned to look at her friends. “Oh my god…. Did he hear me?” The question was purely rhetorical. She turned to look back at the entrance, as if waiting for something to happen.

“How could he not hear you?” Gajee accused, pushing her friend back a little. The other gave her an annoyed look. “You were talking loud enough!”

“Like you have any room to talk!” she retorted. “You were the one who was talking about how you think Jaejoong oppa was—”

“Hey, could we not do this?” one of the other girls spoke up.

As the two girls started arguing back and forth, the three Dong Bang Shin Ki members that were still in the room exchanged glances. Yoochun and Junsu glanced at each other; both had their eyebrows furrowed upwards. Yoochun looked around Junsu and suddenly looked curious. He pointed to Changmin who now had his elbows on his knees and head facing the floor; his body was shaking. Junsu bit his bottom lip before standing and walking up to Changmin. He placed his hand gently on the youngest’s shoulder. Changmin turned his head to look up at him; his eyes were red, but no more than that.

“Changmin?” Junsu drew out in a light voice.

Changmin looked in front of him before looking to the door that lead out to the main hall. He brought his attention back to the older member. “Yunho hyung had the right idea,” he said. The hint was blatant and Junsu nodded, agreeing.

“Come on, then,” he said, forcing another one of his reassurring smiles.

When Changmin took to his feet, Yoochun had done the same. Junsu and Changmin came up to him and Yoochun patted Changmin on the shoulder. Junsu put his arm around the youngest’s shoulders and the trio left the room, and the still arguing cheerleaders, behind.


	19. Discharged Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

Later on the evening, with Yunho’s clothes still covered in Jaejoong’s blood, they had realized all of their belongings they had towed along were still at the hotel. Their manager had called it in and, roughly an hour later, police came to the hospital to drop off their bags.

For the next ten days, the crowd outside of the hospital barely dispersed. During the day, there were not as many people, but as nightfall came, the large crowd was built up again. It went on the same everyday; what with paparazzi constantly trying to get a story out of someone and others just trying to sneak into the hospital just to see Jaejoong, it was a hectic week. Jaejoong, for the most part, was under sedation for the first few days following the incident, but was later taken off the medications. Every day, several times a day, the hospital psychologist would ask everyone to leave the room while she spoke to Jaejoong alone, checking his mental state and helping him recover. True, the recovery process could not be done within a short amount of time, but the sooner it could  begin, the sooner he could recover.

The first day the psychologist came into see him, Jaejoong refused to say anything. The psychologist asked a few, random questions. They mainly pertained to what Jaejoong liked: Music, food, shows – anything to get him to start talking. It was not until the third day that he became comfortable enough with the woman to where he began opening up to her. However, when he did start to talk about what happened, he became very uncomfortable and the psychologist had to continually reassure him that he was safe and nothing could happen to him. Halfway through the session, he refused to say anymore and kept asking where Yunho was.

The psychologist had a nurse retrieve Yunho, but once the leader was in the room, Jaejoong wanted to say no more. The psychologist left it at that, saying to the others, once she was out of Jaejoong’s room, that they were making progress. However, she did warn Yunho not to get too close to Jaejoong. He was the only one that Jaejoong seemed to truly feel safe around, but when Yunho asked why he was not allowed to ‘get close’ to him, the psychologist replied:

“You don’t want him to become dependant on you. You can befriend him, but still keep your distance. That goes for all of you,” she spoke, looking around at the other three members.

That was all she had said before leaving. She returned the next morning to talk with Jaejoong again, check up on his condition and continue helping him recover. It was not until the second time that day before she was able to get Jaejoong to tell the whole story of what happened.

She allowed Yunho to be in the room, though eyeing him skeptically, basically telling through eye contact to not interfere. Once he gave a slight nod of the head, she began with the usual conversation, just getting Jaejoong to talk and open up a bit. She asked him questions about dinner the night of, asking him what they were talking about and what he had ordered – very inane questions. But every story had to have a beginning to get to the end.

“So you got up to leave the table,” she reiterated his statement. “And then you went to the restroom?” The question was rhetorical, but Jaejoong nodded.

“I guess he um…followed me in,” he spoke quietly. Eyes shifting to the right as he was recalling his memories. “I just…remember wanting to get as far away from him as I could. He was standing near the door and I – I know it was stupid and I just put myself in that situation….” He trailed off and inhaled, quickly bringing up his hand and wiping at his face. He brought it back down just as quickly before continuing. “But I…um…walked towards the back stall, thinking that maybe he’d just leave or something. I told him to leave me alone – tried to leave. And, I know it sounds dumb, but I,” he bit his bottom lip and glanced up, making eye contact with the psychologist before continuing. “I tried calling Yunho…just to meet me in the hallway or something. I just…I really didn’t…want to be alone with this man, you know?”

Jaejoong paused, as if in thought. His eyebrows were upwards and his eyes were turning red, but seeing the expression, the psychologist had to get him to continue.

“What happened after you tried to call him?” she asked, glancing sideways at Yunho who was resisting impulse. Another inhale from Jaejoong had her directing her attention back to him.

“I don’t know. I had just input his number and that man…grabbed me. He kept saying that he didn’t want to hurt me and…I don’t…remember anything after that.” Jaejoong’s eyes suddenly became distant. Though this worried the leader, the psychologist seemed to be used to this reaction and just waited for Jaejoong to continue, not provoking him to like she had before. “When I came to, I was in a hotel room. It looked like the suite we were staying in and that’s where I thought I was at first. Like…it was all a dream. Then I saw that man again….

“I remember that I…tried to run. But it was like…he expected it or something. I kept fighting, trying to get away from him, but he was so…strong, you know? He pinned…my hands,” as he said this, he incoherently held up his hands, “above my head…with just one hand. I fought, but then he found duct tape and…taped my hands to the headboard.” He dropped his hands back in front of him, still seeming in a trance-like state. “He kept saying…how beautiful I was and kept… _touching_ me.” Jaejoong practically hissed out the word, obvious disgust in his voice. “He...kissed me….” Jaejoong trailed off as he closed his eyes, memories flooding back to him.

He continued on with the story – all the way through to the end. He broke a few times, the memories coming on too strong. When he spoke about the incident with the needle, Yunho’s eyes had become dark; as if he was about to cry and punch a wall at the same time. He kept his cool, nonetheless. The ordeal with the male nurse finally made sense to him.

Once Jaejoong was able to tell the entire story, and with his wound healed enough to where the stitches would not tear open easily, the psychologist gave her number and an appointment card to Jaejoong. The appointment card was scheduled for them to meet three times a week and her number was in case he needed to talk to someone or in case it was an emergency. The next morning after, the doctors were clearing the discharge papers to allow the Dong Bang Shin Ki member to try and return to his normal life. Give or take, it was obvious that all concerts and promotional campaigns would have to be at a halt for him; but it was also apparent that the entire group had full intentions on staying on hiatus until Jaejoong was well again.

Midway through the week, however, almost the entire story of what happened to Jaejoong was out in the open – with the exception of the finer details. For the most part, the story that everyone was sure was accurate was that Jaejoong was kidnapped by Kwan Lee-Sung and held for ransom. However, when the ransom failed to be collected, he stabbed Jaejoong.

That was the story and they were sticking to it.

That was all the ‘truth’ the public needed and it seemed to satisfy their hunger for information.

The group stood around the bed in Jaejoong’s room, waiting on word for Jaejoong’s discharge to go through. The Dong bang Shin Ki member himself had already gotten dressed and was no longer laying in the bed, but rather sitting vertical on the bed. For the most part, they were silent – at least until the doctor came in, a notepad in hand. She flipped through a few pages, checking the discharge instructions before looking at Jaejoong.

“So, Jaejoong,” she started, getting his attention. “Ready to leave?”

Jaejoong did an odd half-smile and nodded. “I’m just ready to go home.”

She nodded. “Well, I have your discharge papers here and the prescription for your pain medication.” She gave the pad and prescription to their manager who was standing at the foot of the bed. He signed the discharge papers and gave them back to the doctor. She lifted up the top page and tore the second page, handing it back to him. He folded it up with the perscription and held it at his side. “Okay, Jaejoong. If you experience increasing pain for more than a few hours, we want you to come back to the hospital. Or if your stitches come undone. They shouldn’t. It’s been over a week, so the wound should have healed up enough by now. But just in case.”

She set the pad by her side and stood straight, giving a slight bow. “We’d rather not see you back. In other words, we hope you’ll get better soon.”

“Thank you,” Jaejoong replied.

His voice was not as vibrant as it used to be, but the fact that he was able to talk to other people without receding was a plus. It would take time for his confidence to build back.

“Good luck,” she said before bowing again. She turned to leave, but stopped and glanced back to the group. “You can leave whenever you’re ready.” With that said, she left the room.

The room was tense, but not nearly as tense as it had been in the past week. Their manager left the room to go make sure the van that was picking them was able to get through the hospital gates so Jaejoong could avoid the crowd.

Junsu turned to Jaejoong and put his hand on his shoulder. “You sure you’re ready to leave?”

Jaejoong nodded. “I just want to get out of this hospital,” he said with almost a sarcastic sttitude, but a small smile formed at the corner of his mouth.

It was obvious he did not want to linger on an unpleasant subject and was trying to return back to normal; or as normal as he could be. Though it had only been two weeks that he had been hospitalized, it was in the past week that his mental condition has proven to be healing. A male nurse was even able to enter the room and administer his medications without Jaejoong going off the deep end. He tensed, but he managed to keep his cool; and that was one of the biggest steps he could accomplish. He had even carried a small conversation with Yoochun about the people gathered outside – cracking some comments. The conversation was light and did not last long, whereas Jaejoong fell asleep in mid-sentence, but he had been able to carry on average conversation.

Even with Jaejoong’s improvement, Changmin had still been keeping to himself. He had not spent much time in the room with Jaejoong, and even less time was spent talking to him. He had not opened up to any of the others, with the exception of Junsu who still refused to let Yunho and Yoochun in on what was wrong. When Jaejoong was actually awake for a few hours the second week, Junsu had been talking to him and, from nowhere, Changmin walked up to the bed and just hugged Jaejoong. He whispered something that was inaudible to Junsu, but whatever it was, Jaejoong smiled and returned the hug. When they broke apart, Changmin’s eyes were red. He said ‘sorry’ and quickly left the room once again.

It had been an odd two weeks, – tense and stressful – but Jaejoong was recuperating and that was what was counting. Finally, their manager returned back to the room to tell them the van was ready and near the hospital entrance.

They stood and left the room, also leaving some of the horrific nightmare behind.

As expected, when the group exited the hospital doors, the crowd began losing what little bit of their sanity they had left. But the hospital stood true to their word and not a soul from the crowd came onto the hospital property. Give or take, they had police stationed outside to keep people back and the paparazzi were going haywire trying to get video footage of them leaving.

Once they were all in the van, it took ten minutes just to get out of the hospital’s parking lot. But, finally, they were able to get on the road. Sadly, and this was the only thing that none of them were looking forward to, they would have to stay in a hotel at least another night before they would actually be able to return home. Once they arrived at the hotel, which reservations had already been made at, they were hoping that information of where they were would not leak out to the public. Their manager decided to not put them at a higher-class hotel. Instead, they would be staying at a one star motel – to stay on the down-low.

The ride, for the most part, was kept with small talk, making light-hearted conversation. When Yoochun asked Jaejoong what he wanted to do when he got back, Jaejoong said in an easy tone:

“To the house or where we’re staying tonight?”

“Either one.”

He paused before he spoke.

“I want to take a bath.” At this, the van laughed lightly. “I was there so long, I smell like the hospital.” More light-hearted laughs filled the van.

Though there was a deeper meaning to why he wanted to clean himself so badly, the others knew that Jaejoong, too, was trying to keep the air light around them. If anything, he felt more awkward than they did. They were just happy he was picking up conversation at all, unlike the first week where he refused to speak to anyone. Even the psychologist had a difficult time getting him to speak. The only person he was talk to was Yunho; and even with Yunho, he would not really speak to him. He had just wanted him in the room.

But now he was talking and was quickly on the road to recovery.

The place they were staying at was a little over an hour’s drive.When they pulled up, it was obvious why the place was only a one-star place. It was cute on the outside, but the sky was gray which was making the small motel look rather pathetic. There were only three other cars in the parking lot. The van stopped right out front of the building and their manager stepped out of the van to check them in. Yoochun peered out of the window at the place. He pointed to a small, fenced-in area.

“They have a pool,” he commented.

“Really?” Junsu asked as he leaned across Changmin’s lap to look outside of the window, too. Changmin did not seem too pleased and gave an annoyed look at the other, but Junsu did not even notice. “Huh. Would you look at that.” He looked around a bit more. “And check it. Two floors and there are your stairs,” he said, putting his hand on Yoochun’s chin and moving his head to where he was looking.

Not a minute later, their manager came back out and got back into the driver’s seat. He turned to face the group, holding up three roomkeys. He passed two of them back to the group.

“The rooms are two-twelve and two-thirteen. They’re shared rooms, but I’ll let you all work out who all stays is whose room.” He turned back around and shifted back into drive, driving around the corner to the parking lot.

Once the van was parked and they all got out, he let them know that he would be staying in room one-thirty five and that was where he would be if they needed anything.

After the initial instructions, they walked down the outside hallway to the stairs and headed up to their rooms. Once their manager saw them disappear inside, he headed down to his own room.

“Dibs!” Junsu said as he did a bellyflop onto the first bed in room two-thirteen.

“Awe! You should be lucky I’m nice,” Yunho said in a teasing tone as he ‘accidentally’ hit Junsu in the leg when he walked around to the bed near the wall.

He opened up the drawers near the bed before walking around and into the bathroom. There was only a shower and a latrine - right outside the bathroom was the sink. Junsu sat up on his knees why he was still on the bed and called to Yunho as their leader came out of the bathroom.

“You sure you’re not going to share a room with Jaejoong instead?” he asked, eyebrows raised and face quizzical.

Yunho shook his head as he walked to the door that joined the two rooms together. He unlocked it before replying.

“No. Jaejoong said that he didn’t want to…and it’s not like I’m going to force him to do something he doesn’t want to do.” He pulled on the door, but it did not budge. He began knocking on it repeatatively and, finally, he heard the lock on the other side flip and the door swung open, revealing Yoochun.

“I love this door,” Yoochun said, sticking out his tongue.

Yunho faked a laugh and sneered before looking over Yoochun’s shoulder into the conjoined room. Yoochun moved out of the way to let him in. Junsu jumped off of the bed and decided to join them.

“It’s…backwards,” Yunho commented on the room.

Changmin, who was sitting on the bed closest to the door, looked at him strangely.

“What do you mean it’s backwards?”

Yunho was going to reply, but Junsu interrupted. “Our rooms are flip-flopped. Our beds are on the right and yours are on the left.”

Changmin did not verbally reply, he just nodded.

“Where’s Jaejoong?” Yunho asked when he did not see the other member in the room.

Changmin and Yoochun both pointed towards the bathroom. They heard bathwater start to run and a shower curtain move before anyone walked out of it. Jaejoong looked around at everybody and raised a brow.

“What?” he asked, seeing everyone looking at him.

They all shrugged and, at the same time, said:

“Nothing.”

The fact that they all replied at the same time had them laughing.


	20. Night Walker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

Yoochun was lying down on the bed near the wall and was flipping through channels on the television in their room. Changmin was lying next to him, under the covers and turned on his side facing the wall, light breaths escaping from him every so often. He said that he was not much in the mood to stay awake, so he retired not much longer after Jaejoong had disappeared into the bathroom. Yunho and Junsu stayed in the room a bit longer to just talk, but soon went to their own room as well. That was, of course, after they had to run back to the van to get their bags. Yunho knocked on the bathroom door to tell Jaejoong that they were going to bed and goodnight. Jaejoong replied with an ‘okay’ and returned the goodnight.

Before Yunho left the room to shut the door that joined the two rooms together, he asked that Yoochun stay awake until Jaejoong was out of the bath. Yoochun said that he had intended to do just that, anyway.

“Thanks,” he said, receiving a nod from the other member. He looked over to Changmin who was facing the wall. “Night, Changmin.” He did not receive a reply; the other was already asleep.

He sighed and shook his head, telling Yoochun goodnight one last time before leaving the room.

With already an hour passed, Jaejoong was still in the bathroom and Yoochun was getting ready to knock on the door to check up on him. He set the remote on the bedside table and stood up, walking over to the bathroom door. He brought up his hand, and just as he was getting ready to knock, the door handle turned and the door swung open, revealing Jaejoong.

The Dong Bang Shin Ki member was already dressed in gray sleep pants and a white t-shirt. He was still drying his hair with a towel as he exited and Yoochun had taken a step back.

“Sorry,” Jaejoong blurted out. “Did I—”

Yoochun shook his head before Jaejoong was even able to finish his sentence. “No, it was just – I was just…,” he trailed off and sighed. “Never mind.” He saw Jaejoong’s face change expressions as he walked to the empty bed closest to the door. Yoochun bit his bottom lip before pointing to the restroom. “Uh…Nature calls,” he said quickly before disappearing into the bathroom and shutting the door.

With his hand still on the door, he pressed his head against it, exhaling.

It was a big enough step that Jaejoong chose not to stay in the same room as Yunho – even more-so that he was starting to pick up regular activity; but even so, his mentality was still fragile and having the feeling that the others might not trust him could break what fragility there was. All of the other members were fully aware of this and were trying not to be overprotecting of him, but it was difficult. The last thing any of them wanted was for Jaejoong to retreat and relapse. It had been two weeks, yes; but recovery would take time and only small steps could be taken.

Yoochun sighed and pushed away from the door. Did he honestly have to use the restroom? The answer to that was a simple ‘no’, but that was the first thing to come into his head.

He sat down on the edge of the bathtub and put his elbows on his knees. He would wait a few minutes before exiting the bathroom, wanting to at least give the impression that he needed to actually use the bathroom. The faucet dripped behind him and when it dripped for a second time, he turned to make sure it was shut off all the way. He grabbed the handle and tightened it some more, stopping the dripping. The washcloth Jaejoong had used was curled into a ball in the corner of the tub opposite Yoochun. The soap that he had used was next to it, but Yoochun gave a quizzical look and raised his eyebrows.

He reached out and grabbed the bar of soap. It was true that the soaps hotels and the like used were smaller than the average bar of soap, but there was hardly any left. He glanced around and saw the wrapper for the soap lying next to wastepaper basket. The paper was for average sized, but the bar of soap itself was next to none; as though it had already been used three or four times. He set it down and leaned over to pick up the wrapper for it and throw it in the waste basket – but there was already a wrapper in it.

He furrowed his eyebrows and tossed the other in it.

Did Jaejoong go through nearly two bars of soap in a little over an hour?

He leaned back upright, thoughts swimming through his head. He was not sure why, but he suddenly turned and reached for the used washcloth. He did not know what he was looking for, but he guessed he would know once he found it.

He opened it up and – his eyes had to be deceiving him, but he could swear there were light, washed out red smears on it. Maybe it was just how it was supposed to look, but he could swear what he was seeing was washed-out blood. His eyes darted off to the side as he tried to come up with possible explanations. The first thought through his head was the still-healing wound on Jaejoong’s chest. But surely that was not still bleeding. It had been stitched up and water would not harm it. There was no blood or anything on Jaejoong’s shirt when he came out of the bathroom.

He shook his head and put the washcloth back in the corner.

Standing, he pressed the lever on the latrine to flush it. He let it run a few seconds before opening the door, shutting off the light and leaving the bathroom.

The towel Jaejoong had been using was now sitting in the sink and Jaejoong himself was sitting on the bed, the covers pulled up to his abdomen. He was staring at the television, but his eyes were distant and it was obvious that his mind was elsewhere instead of focusing on what was on the screen. Jaejoong was unaware that Yoochun had walked out of the bathroom, even after Yoochun walked over to his own bed that he was sharing with Changmin and sat down on it.

“Jaejoong?” Yoochun called to him, but still Jaejoong seemed distant, as though he did not hear him. He cleared his throat and said it a little louder. “Jaejoong.”

Jaejoong jerked and shook his head, facing Yoochun.

“Sorry. I…zoned out,” he replied before giving a small half-smile – anyone could see that it was forced.

“It’s okay, just…what time do you want me to set the alarm for? We’re going to leave around eleven, remember?” he asked, almost rhetorically, but Jaejoong nodded his head anyway.

“Um, I guess,” he started as he rubbed the back of his head. “Nine…thirty?”

Yoochun nodded and reached over to grab that alarm clock that sat on the table. The clock itself was showing that it was nearly midnight. As he began to set the alarm, Jaejoong slid his body the rest of the way under the covers and pulled them up to his chin.

As he finished setting the alarm, he set the clock back on the table and reached for the button that controlled the light between the beds.

“Night, Jaejoong,” he said before turning it off.

“Night,” came the reply.

“Sleep well.”

He shut the light off and got under the covers, kicking Changmin over a bit to give him room before he laid down. He grabbed the remote to the television and shut it off. As his head set down on the pillow, he saw the outline of Jaejoong’s figure; the other was lying to where he had his back towards Yoochun. That was the last thing he saw before his eyes closed and he fell into sleep.

* * *

“ _I got you…under my skin_.”

As they finished the last lyric to the song, the crowd went crazy, cheering for the group as the lights in the concert hall dimmed down before going completely black. All music halted for a few more seconds before the intro to _CRAZY LOVE_ began playing and the lights stared to fade back on. Fans picked up screaming again when the music started back up and they found that the group had changed positions from the ending to the last song.

 Yunho started up with his opening lines of, “ _Yo. I’ve been waiting for this for so long. TVXQ!_ ” and they began dancing around the stage.

It was no wonder that music at concerts always had to be so loud – if it was not, it would not carry over the screaming fans. It was a good thing the concert hall had great acoustics and made the music, and their voices, sound impeccable.

After everything that had happened, it was amazing that they were able to perform at all. They had returned to Seoul to do their performance for their album MIROTIC, and even the fans were in shock. Jaejoong was actually willing to go on stage to perform – even with his injury. Though others had tried to coax him out of it, he refused and kept saying that he was fine and ready to perform again. They told him to at least take it easy while he was on stage, and allowed him to go on.

If anything, he was belting out more than the other four members, as if trying to prove that he was back to his old self and that nothing was wrong. Even so, the staff and the other members were monitoring his condition. He did seem fine, though.

They made it through their performance for _CRAZY LOVE_ without a hitch and then began to interact with the audience. It was only natural that fans were curious about what had gone on with Jaejoong and that seemed to be questions that were being shouted out from the audience.

“We can assure you guys,” Junsu started as he spoke into the microphone and glanced from Jaejoong and back to the audience. “Jaejoong is fine, right hyung?” he asked, smiling as he looked at Jaejoong who was standing near Changmin.

Jaejoong nodded, his arms crossed as he brought up his microphone to his mouth. “Yeah. Please…don’t be concerned about me.”

“Right!” Yunho said as he walked next to Jaejoong and put his arm around the oldest’s shoulders. “Jaejoong’s perfectly healthy and safe.”

The audience began clapping and yelling again, but suddenly went quiet as a question was shouted out that was loud enough to be heard throughout the entire concert hall.

“But I hear that we haven’t heard the whole story,” someone near the front spoke up. Everyone’s facial expressions became curious and shocked at the same time. They looked around for the person who was speaking – the person whose question had the entire audience go quiet. One of the spotlights scanned the audience for them and found them when the saw everyone around the area looking at them.

Changmin spoke into his own microphone, then. “What do mean?” he asked, his voice echoing. “We’ve said the whole story. Hyung was abducted and held for rans—”

“But that’s not the real story, is it?” the person asked. The person asking was male, about the age that the boys were, and was wearing a brown jacket that came to their knees. Their face could not be made out. Perhaps it was the fact that the lighting in the audience was so much darker, but their face looked almost blurry. Everyone’s attention was now centered on this man, wondering what he was talking about. “I hear that he was violated.” At this, the boys’ eyes became wide and Jaejoong shrunk back, tensing. “You know…raped.” The person spoke like this was no big deal, as if it was natural. “Personally, I don’t think I could be around someone so filthy.”

Yunho removed his arm from around Jaejooong’s shoulders and took a step forward as Jaejoong took a few steps backwards, as if to try and hide himself behind Changmin.

“And were did you hear this information?” Yunho asked, eyeing the man. “Because, apparently, you were misinformed. We’ve already given the truth and that’s that Jaejoong was taken and stabbed when –”

“Oh, don’t feed us those lies,” the person continually spoke as they scoffed. “I mean…Kawn-Sung couldn’t even do the job right.” They shrugged as Yunho’s eyes narrowed and it felt as though there were only three people in the entire hall: Yunho, Jaejoong and this man that continued to say these horrific things. With his attention focused on the man, the entire hall seemed to be void of all other life. “If you’re going to kill someone, you make sure they don’t have a chance of survival. Aim for the heart or the lungs. For example,” as he said this, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a 9mm pistol and aimed, firing it.

The shot echoed in the room and the boys on stage stood still, as if in shock.

It was silent in the hall – that was until a high-pitched scream from a female fan broke it. The awareness of other people being in the hall began fading back in, though everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The man with the weapon seemed to have vanished as the crowd came back into view. Immediately, Yunho jerked around to see what she was screaming at and dropped his microphone. It screeched when it hit the floor.

Jaejoong stood with a blank stare and a bullet hole going through his chest.

The crowd of fans became a frenzy, screaming and shouting as they pushed passed bodyguards to get on stage. Yunho could not even make it to Jaejoong, whereas someone kept grabbing his arm and pulling him away from him: Farther and farther away before the crowd between him and Jaejoong grew so thick, he could not even see the other member. He continually shouted for him, but the same person kept pulling at his arm.

“Let go!” he said as he tried jerking his arm free. “Jaejoong!” he called, but his voice was inaudible over the rest of the crowd.

* * *

“Let go!” Yunho shouted as he jerked his arm to the side, away from whomever kept pulling.

His eyes shot open and he was surrounded by darkness. It took him a minute to realize that he was still in the motel room. His heart was pounding in his chest and he sat up, looking around. He jumped when he realized there was someone standing next to the bed and his immediate reaction was to fight off the intruder, but he quickly recognized the outline and outlined facial features as Jaejoong’s.

“Yunho…,” Jaejoong said quietly in a whisper. “I’m sorry…. I didn’t want to wake you up, but…,” he trailed off and went silent.

Yunho looked around him and he could see that the shared room’s door was slightly ajar. His eyes traveled to the table between the two beds and the clock. It was three-thirty-three in the morning. He brought his attention back to Jaejoong.

“Jaejoong?” Yunho asked rhetorically as he reached out his hand to grab the outline of Jaejoong’s forearm. Depth perception was a poor thing in the dark. “Are you all right? What’s wrong?” he asked, half asleep, but worried nonetheless.

He watched Jaejoong nod; his eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness and the bit of light that was seeping through the closed curtains was enough to where he could at least see enough of the other member.

“I really didn’t want to bother you, but,” Jaejoong started. He fell silent again and inhaled before continuing. “Can I…sleep with you tonight?” he finally asked.

Though he could not make out much, Yunho could see enough of Jaejoong’s facial expression to see that he was nervous and uncomfortable. He released his hold on Jaejoong’s arm and looked at the bed.

“Uh…yeah, sure,” he said as he moved over, shifting closer to the wall. He lifted up the covers from the side he had just moved from and felt when Jaejoong grabbed them to get in the bed. He continued to sit up as he felt the bed shift as Jaejoong lay down and tried to find a comfortable spot. Once the other had stopped moving and found a comfortable location lying on his side, facing Yunho, Yunho laid back down, too. He pulled the covers back up and lay facing the oldest member. “Bad dream?”

There was a moment of silence before a quiet ‘yeah’ came floating his way. There was more silence. Jaejoong shifted again and inhaled. “I’m sorry, Yunho,” he began again. “I didn’t mean to – I mean…I thought I could…on my own.” Though his sentences were broken, Yunho could tell what he meant.

He reached out his arm under the covers and put it on Jaejoong’s upper arm, rubbing it. “Jaejoong…don’t worry about it,” he said, giving a soft smile. “You know you can always trust me.” He leaned forward a bit and kissed Jaejoong on the forehead, then pulled back. “I’m always going to be here for you.”

The words the psychologist spoke him nearly a week ago came back into his head.

‘Don’t get too close to him.’

But Jaejoong was starting to mend and everyone needed support. What kind of person would he, Yunho, be if he turned his back on him? If Jaejoong needed him, he would be there for him and he made that promise to himself.

They lay there in silence for what seemed to be forever. Yunho continued to rub Jaejoong’s upper arm and he was sure, at one point, Jaejoong had fallen asleep. His breathing became even and his eyes had been shut for a while. Even still, Yunho kept his hand on Jaejoong’s upper arm, just to give the notion that he was still there. When Yunho had shifted his lower body to a better suited position, Jaejoong shifted, too, and they both went still.

Yunho was sure that Jaejoong was still sleeping, but he spoke then.

“Yunho?” Jaejoong asked quietly in a whisper.

“Yeah?” he asked; Jaejoong’s eyes were still shut.

“Thank you…,” he trailed off and Yunho gave a curious look. “I love you, Yunho,” his voice was still quiet, but the leader heard him.

He smiled lightly, even though Jaejoong could not see him. He continued to rub the other’s arm, not replying. A few more minutes had passed and by this time it was obvious Jaejoong had fallen asleep; but Yunho was still awake, watching the sleeping figure next to him. He moved his hand and set it on the side of Jaejoong’s head, running his hand through the other’s hair.

“I love you, too, Jaejoong,” he said, even knowing the other could not hear him. “I love you, too.”


	21. HOMELIGHT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

Sunlight was pouring through the curtains into the motel room, hitting Yoochun in the face through the slit it was coming through. He clenched his eyes shut and pulled the covers over his head, blocking out the light. It seemed that he had gone back to sleep; that was until a very loud screech filled the room before blaring out the radio.

Immediately, he pulled down the covers and reached out both hands, trying to find the alarm clock. When he did find it, he could not find out how to turn it off and sat up in the bed, trying to shut it off. He kept pressing all of the buttons, but it refused to quit. Apparently, the noise had woken Changmin, too, whereas the youngest member’s arm reached behind him, grabbed the alarm clock from Yoochun’s hands and gave it a harsh jerk, pulling the plug from the wall.

The alarm ceased instantly and Changmin dropped the alarm onto Yoochun’s lap before he turned on his side, facing and looking up at Yoochun through slotted eyes. Yoochun just shrugged as he looked at the alarm clock.

“That worked.”

He heard Changmin groan, as if to say ‘of course’. Changmin reached for Yoochun’s vacant pillow and shoved it over his head once his fingers clasped around it. Yoochun only shook his head.

“Uh-uh,” he said as he grabbed the pillow and pulled it off of Changmin’s head. The other member scrunched up his face. “Time to get up, Changmin.” At this, Changmin opened his eyes and looked up Yoochun, though the look was more of a scowl. He grabbed the covers and, much like Yoochun had done, pulled them over his head. The older of the two gave an annoyed look and pursed his lips together. He grabbed the covers and started to pull on them, but Changmin held fast and refused to release his grip.

After a minute of struggling with the covers, Yoochun gave up and let his hands and arms relax. He pulled them back and thought for a moment, then shifted to where he was sitting on his knees. He raised a brow.

“Changmin, get up or I’ll make you get up,” he said in a taunting, but serious voice. Changmin only tightened his grip on the covers. Yoochun sighed and shrugged. “Okay. Have it your way, then.” He rubbed his hands together as though he was getting ready to do something devious; and, in one move, he lunged forward at Changmin and pushed him, and the covers, off of the bed.

Changmin released a slight yell as he hit the floor between the bed and the wall. Laughing, Yoochun sat back on his heels.

“I told you!”

He saw an arm reach up from the space and Changmin’s hand grip the sheets on the bed. He pulled himself up to where both of his forearms were on the bed and he could look at Yoochun with a very annoyed look.

“Is it too much to ask that I can just sleep?” he asked, his hair sticking up in the back and the front.

Yoochun only nodded. “Yes. Yes it is.”

Changmin narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips together. He was going to retort, but decided against it. Instead, his eyes traveled to Jaejoong, or at least where Jaejoong was supposed to be. The other member was gone from his bed. His look quickly changed to curious and he looked behind him to the bathroom.

The bathroom door was open and the light was turned off. Looking back to Yoochun, he gave a curious stare before asking:

“Where’s Jaejoong?” he asked, meeting Yoochun’s eyes.

“What do you mean ‘where is he’?” Yoochun asked. “He’s sleeping right the—” he started as he turned towards Jaejoong’s bed. He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw that the other’s bed was vacant. “Uh…or not.”

They stared blankly at the empty bed for a minute before both jumped to their feet. Changmin practically hurdled over the bed as he went to the door and pulled it open, looking outside, thinking maybe the other was outside. There was no sign of him. Yoochun went to the door that joined the two rooms together and pulled it open in a hurry.

“Jaejoo—” he started to call into the other’s room, but Junsu was already awake and quickly turned to Yoochun, holding up his hands and signaling him to be quiet.

“Shh,” he said in a whisper as Changmin came up behind Yoochun to see what was going on. Junsu pointed towards Yunho’s bed and both Yoochun and Changmin released a relieve sigh. “I figured it would be best not to wake them up…at least not right now.”

Yunho was still sleeping, facing opposite the wall, but Jaejoong was lying in front of him, facing him. Both were sleeping soundly, peaceful looks on both of their faces. Other than their heads, the only other parts of their bodies that were exposed was Yunho’s left arm and hand and Jaejoong’s right arm and hand. Yunho’s hand was laying lightly over Jaejoong’s.

Junsu motioned with his hands for the other two to go back into their own room. When they back up through the doorway, Junsu followed them, and then shut the door that joined to the two rooms. He released a string of air as the door quietly latched shut. He turned and pressed his back against it, meeting the eyes of Yoochun and Changmin, curious looks playing on both of their faces. They waited for someone to speak, and when a minute passed that no one spoke, Yoochun decided to break the silence.

“What time did Jaejoong switch to your all’s room?” he asked, eyebrows raised up.

Junsu only shrugged. “I don’t know. I woke up before the alarm went off and he was already there.” Changmin had shifted his position and was now lying back down on the bed, his eyes tracing the ceiling. The yellow shirt he slept it came up to bare a small portion of his stomach, but he did nothing to fix it. “I shut off the alarm so it wouldn’t wake them up. Got up at around seven…they haven’t even moved.”

Yoochun nodded and glanced back to Changmin when he noticed Junsu had been watching the younger member. “What woke you up so early?” he asked, not tearing his gaze.

Junsu only shrugged. “Don’t know. Just woke up.” Yoochun looked back to him as Junsu slid down the door to where he was sitting on the floor. “I didn’t sleep very well last night.”

“Too many thoughts?” Yoochun asked, stepping backwards so he could sit on the edge of the free bed.

Junsu nodded. “And I don’t even know why.”

“We’ve been put through and ordeal,” Changmin’s voice carried over, attracting the others’ attention. “With everything hyung’s been put through…I’ll be amazed if I ever have a decent night’s sleep ever again.”

They all fell silent after that, silently agreeing with him.

By the time ten-fifteen rolled around, they began hearing movement in the other room. Changmin had gone into the bathroom to take a shower (not feeling like he had enough time for a bath) and Yoochun was sitting against the headboard of the bed nearest the door and was watching the news. Junsu was lying on his stomach, his head at the bottom of the bed and his feet pressed against the headboard. The door handle on the joined door began to move and Yoochun and Junsu directed their attention towards it. Yunho stood in the doorway, poking his head and shoulders through the opening.

“I wondered where everyone was,” he commented, seeing the other two members in the room. He walked in, but left the door slightly open. He looked at the televsion. “What are you watching?” he asked, seeing the view of a mall on the screen.

Yoochun shrugged. “News.”

Yunho nodded. “Anything new?” Both of the other two shook their heads. Yunho looked towards the bathroom when he heard running water. He pointed, but Junsu answered him before he could even ask.

“Changmin’s taking a shower.” Their leader nodded. “Jaejoong awake, too?” Junsu shifted to where he was sitting upright.

Yunho looked back to him and nodded. “Yeah.”

Yoochun laughed lightly, getting both of the others’ attention. He saw the two staring at him and shook his head, waving his hand. “No. Changmin and I about lost it this morning when we woke up.” He coughed to clear his throat before continuing. “We woke up and realized Jaejoong wasn’t in the room.”

“Oh,” Yunho said, laughing lightly, but also sightly nervous. He rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah…he came into our room”-he motioned to Junsu-“at about three-thirty this morning. Said he couldn’t sleep.”

Yoochun nodded. “Yeah, but tell him to leave a note next time he decides to disappear.”

They chuckled at the thought somewhat.

The morning passed by swiftly. They were serving breakfast in the lobby, which ended up being the first and only time any of them stepped foot in it. It was small, but quaint. The only other people there were an elderly couple and they did not even glance up when the boys entered. Breakfast was quiet with little conversation and, not much longer afterwards, they were getting packed into the van, ready to head home. With the back door to the van open, their manager was already putting his bag in; at least before his cell phone began beeping. Yoochun was walking up with his own bag when their manager answered his phone.

“Yeah,” he said before pausing. He looked at Yoochun and gave a nod before directing his attention back to his phone. “No. We’re about to be.” He began walking away from the Dong Bang Shin Ki member until he was out of earshot.

Yoochun lifted up his bag and hoisted into the van, pushing it as far back as it would go before it hit the back seat. He turned around and saw Yunho walking towards him, his own back being dragged behind him. Yunho looked towards their manager who was now standing several parking spots away. He came up on Yoochun and as he loaded his bag into the van, Yoochun glanced back towards the room.

“Where’s Jaejoong and them?” he asked, referring to the others.

Yunho pushed his bag to the back, next to Yoochun’s. “Changmin’s in the bathroom and Junsu’s complaining he’s taking too long.” He grunted as he tried to shift his bag closer so the others would have room to put theirs. “Jaejoong’s...taking his time.” He stood straight and made eye contact with Yoochun, his eyebrows furrowed slightly upwards.

Yoochun understood what he meant without Yunho having to verbalize it. He looked back towards the motel where the door to their all’s rooms were open. Without saying another word, Yoochun turned away from the leader and began walking back to the room he had shared with Changmin and Jaejoong.

When he entered, the shared room door was open and he could see Junsu pounding on the bathroom door for Changmin to “stop primping himself like a drag queen”. He was wondering why Changmin was even using the bathroom in the other room, but when he noticed the bathroom door in their room was closed, he realized why. He made a check around the room to make sure they had everything before just waiting for Jaejoong to come out of the restroom.

He heard arguing coming from the other room and decided to go check on the two youngest members while he waited. When he entered the other room, he saw Changmin at the sink washing his hands and Junsu in the doorway to the bathroom. He caught the end of Junsu’s sentence, “-only going to the house” before he shut the door to the bathroom.

“Well, excuse me for wanting to look presentable,” Changmin muttered.

Yoochun raised a brow and crossed his arms. “SuMin couple is fighting?” He saw Changmin jump when he spoke, whereas he was not even aware Yoochun was present until just now. When Changmin turned to look at the older member, he shot a small glare towards him, making Yoochun hold his hands in a surrendering mode. “Sorry.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, hunching his shoulders. “Just checking up on you guys – see if you’re ready to leave.”

Changmin nodded as he shut off the faucet and reached for one of the small hand towels. “Yeah. Double checked everything.” He set the towel down and walked towards Yoochun, passing him to go into their room. Yoochun followed him in and Changmin walked to the sink, grabbing his toothbrush before going to his bag and putting it in the front pocket. He zipped it up and grabbed the retractable handle. It popped up and he looked back to Yoochun who was looking at him intently. “What?”

Yoochun only shook his head. “It’s nothing.” Changmin looked at him quizzically, but did not press the matter and began to leave the room and head towards the van. “Just,” Yoochun started and Changmin looked back at him. Yoochun bit his bottom lip before making eye contact with the youngest. “Are you doing all right?” Changmin nodded. “You just seem...distant, you know?”

At this Changmin looked off to the side before locking eyes with Yoochun again and giving a small smile. “No. I’m fine.” Yoochun only nodded and Changmin left the room, his bag being pulled behind him. Yoochun had a feeling he was going to ask Junsu, yet again, on Changmin’s status.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He heard the click of the bathroom door opening and turned to see Jaejoong exiting. When he and Jaejoong connected eyes, Yoochun said nothing. There was something he wanted to ask, but he did not know how to phrase it – he was nervous that he might offend the oldest member. Jaejoong looked off to the side quickly before looking back; Yoochun could tell that Jaejoong was wondering why he was being stared at.

Finally deciding that he felt uncomfortable, Jaejoong shook his head and walked passed Yoochun, walking over to his bag that still lay open on the bed and closing it. As he grabbed the handle and pulled it off the bed and set it next to him, Yoochun finally called him back.

 “Jaejoong,” he started, getting the other’s attention. Jaejoong turned to face him, his face toying with curiosity.

 “Yeah?”

They locked eyes again and Yoochun bit his bottom lip. He glanced through the door joining the two rooms to make sure Junsu was not out of the restroom, yet. He turned back to Jaejoong. “Hyung, can I ask you something?”

Jaejoong looked at him quizzically and nodded. “Okay?”

“Did you...,” he pursed his lips together, trying to think of a way to word the question. “...cut yourself last night?” He silently cursed at himself for asking it so blatantly, but he was unable to put the words in other terms.

He bit his bottom lip and looked at Jaejoong who seemed to be clueless as to what Yoochun was asking. His eyes trailed off to the right as he tried to remember and when he seemed to land on the memory Yoochun was asking about, he just nodded.

“Yeah.” With the straight-forward answer, Yoochun seemed somewhat shocked. “The razor...it slipped and...well....” He released his hold on his bag and grabbed his left pant leg. He pulled up to show his ankle; a scab had grown over a cut on the bone.

Relief seemed to wash over Yoochun’s face and he suddenly felt like a fool for thinking Jaejoong was cutting himself. He should have thought about it rationally before jumping to conclusions, but even though the worst was over with, he still kept thinking of the aftermath. He shook his head and Jaejoong let his pant leg fall back down. He grabbed his bag handle again as he looked to the shared room’s door and saw Junsu trip as he was exiting the restroom. Yoochun looked over into the other room when he heard the thud of Junsu hitting the floor.

“Nice footwork,” he commented, getting a small grin and laugh from Jaejoong and a sneer from Junsu.

“Shut up,” Junsu muttered in a defeated tone as Jaejoong left the room with his bag to walk to the van.

Once Junsu had finished packing, he and Yoochun walked out to the van and shoved their bags into the back next to the others’. They were on the road not much longer afterwards – the five of them sitting in the back of the van as their manager drove them to location. It was at thing moment that they were thankful they had more than just one location as a “permanent” residence.

The drive was silent for the most part. Junsu and Yoochun got into a debate about something or other when they were about five minutes away from the house and Jaejoong just stared out of the window, watching the scenery go by. His eyes were distant again. Yunho was watching him and ended up reaching over, putting his hand on the other’s knee and giving it a light-hearted squeeze. Even though he was sure Jaejoong felt the touch, Jaejoong did not shift his position. He did, however, bring up his hand and touch Yunho’s. With the slight touch, Yunho could not help but smile. He turned his hand up, open-palm and grabbed Jaejoong’s, holding it.

For the last bit of the ride, they stayed like that. Junsu kept pushing Yoochun into the door, while Yoochun occasionally knocked Junsu back into Changmin, but the youngest member never seemed to care. Yoochun and Junsu were too caught up in whatever they were bickering about, but Changmin watched the two oldest members from the back seat. For the first time in weeks, his entire body seemed to relax, and as he looked down at where Yunho and Jaejoong held hands, a smile graced his lips. He cocked his head to the side and set it on Junsu’s shoulder, closing his eyes. Feeling the contact, Junsu released Yoochun’s shoulder and looked next to him. Yoochun could not help but look, too. They stopped their argument and Junsu looked in front of him to the two seats where Yunho and Jaejoong were sitting. He tapped Yoochun on the shoulder and motioned with his hand.

The entire air in the vehicle seemed to change at that moment. It had gone from being tense and awkward to being calm and relaxed. The ride went by in silence from that point; the only noise was the van being driven down the long road to the house.

When it finally did come to a stop, their manager opened his door and stepped out of the vehicle. His shoes crunched on gravel as he shut the door. Jaejoong took his hand back from Yunho and Yunho brought his arm back to unblock the small aisle between them. He looked back at the other three.

“You guys can go ahead,” he said, motioning to the door with his head.

Yoochun nodded and nudged Junsu in the side as he stood up as much as he could and went to the door. He grabbed the handle and slid it open, literally jumping out of the van. Junsu lightly tapped Changmin on the leg to get him to acknowledge the fact they had stopped. He was not actually asleep, but it was apparent that he was sleep-deprived. He followed behind Junsu to get out of the vehicle and almost tripped when he went to step down.

The three of them vanished from view after that point.

Yunho sighed and looked back to Jaejoong.

“You ready, Jaejoong?” he asked lightly. He saw Jaejoong nod, but the other did not take his gaze from peering out of the window. Yunho moved and grabbed the edge of the door, jumping down, crunching as his shoes hit the gravel beneath. Jaejoong tore his gaze from the window and stretched to pop his back. He moved to get out of the chair and when he went to the door, he just looked at the scenery around the house.

Even though it was just hitting the afternoon, the air seemed like it was still early morning. A light fog was drifting in the air, but it did not appear dreary – it appeared light. As if it were a fresh morning...a fresh start. He inhaled the air around him, smelling the crisp, clean air. He looked back to see Yunho standing in front of him, holding out his hand to help Jaejoong off of the van. The oldest took it and stepped down. He looked back to the house and heard the back door to the van open up as the others went to retrieve the luggage.

Though they had been to this location so many times it was impossible to count, it now had a different feel about it. It felt clean it felt...safe.

Yunho, still having Jaejoong’s hand, looked at the house as well. He inhaled and smiled.

“Welcome home, Jaejoong.”


	22. 6 Months Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

“I’ll shower when no one’s fighting over it,” Changmin said as he walked into the room.

He set his and Junsu’s bag next to the door and stretched once he was completely in the main room. The pullout sofa bed was still out and he jumped on it on his stomach, groaning as he rolled over. Yoochun walked in, looked at Changmin and just shook his head. He walked over to the other member and, seeing that he had his eyes closed, took his bag and dropped it on Changmin’s abdomen. The other jerked up from the sudden weight.

“Hey! What was that for?”

Yoochun’s reply was him sticking out his tongue and walking towards the kitchen. Changmin narrowed his eyes before letting his head fall back on the bed. Jaejoong came in next, looking around the room and seeing Changmin, he just shook his head, veering to the left hallway where his shared room with Yoochun was. When Junsu came into the room, he saw Changmin and, unlike Jaejoong who ignored him, positioned himself before running towards the bed and jumping on top of the youngest member. From surprise, Changmin yelled and pushed Junsu onto the floor – the other’s head barely missed the corner of the table before hitting the carpet.

Changmin held back a laugh as he turned on his side and looked at Junsu who was now on all fours. “Oops. My bad.” He smirked as Junsu pursed his lips. Changmin stuck out his tongue. He held out his hand to help Junsu up, but when Junsu took it, he just pulled Changmin off the bed, too. “Ack! You arse!”

Junsu laughed as he grabbed Changmin’s shoulders and pinned him to the floor. “Serves you right!” He leaned down and kissed Changmin on the cheek before jumping up and bolting towards the kitchen. It was a good thing for his timing, whereas he barely escaped Changmin reaching to grab his ankle when he ran off. Changmin groaned and let his head hit the floor.

Yunho came in hauling his bag behind him and glanced around the room. “Hey, where’d everyone go?” He saw a hand shoot up from next to the bed.

 “I’m here,” Changmin’s voice came over and Yunho just sighed, shaking his head. “Junsu and Yoochun are in the kitchen,” he said as he pointed towards the kitchen. “And Jaejoong hyung’s in his room.” He let his arm drop back out of Yunho’s view.

Yunho nodded and dropped his bag by the door with the others. “So who’s going for the shower first?”

Changmin grabbed the side of the couch and pulled himself up. He dusted the lint that attracted itself to his pants before looking at Yunho and shrugged. “Don’t look at me. Junsu and Yoochun are the ones fighting over it.” He pointed back to the kitchen in the direction of the other two members.

Yunho sighed. “Well...whoever does decide to go first, tell them to hurry. I’d like to wash up before one in the morning.” With that said, he turned on his heel and turned down the hall, following after Jaejoong.

Changmin sighed and shook his head. He turned around and walked into the kitchen – the only thing that separated the kitchen from the living room was a small wall and a nook where the stove was. Yoochun was crouched down in front of the opened refrigerator going through the drawers and Junsu was sitting on top of the stove with his feet dangling. He was staring at the clock on the wall opposite of him, but adverted his attention to Changmin when the youngest member came in.

“I thought you two were battling over who got to bathe first?” he asked as he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

“I told Junsu to go ahead, but now he said he doesn’t care,” Yoochun said, still rummaging through the drawers in the fridge. He stopped for a minute to look up at Junsu who has his lips pursed together. Turning back to the fridge, he sighed and stood up, shutting the door. “Fine. I’ll go ahead and go first.” He left the kitchen and Changmin watched him as he turned down the hallway towards the bathroom.

Junsu scratched his arm as he looked at Changmin. When Changmin looked back at him, Junsu lolled his head back and jumped down from the stovetop. “Where are the other two?” he asked, hand on his neck.

Changmin pointed in the direction of the bedrooms. “Jaejoong went to change and Yunho followed.”

Junsu nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer. He groaned. “I can’t wait to go out tonight. I just want to enjoy tonight and not have to worry about tomorrow.”

Changmin raised a brow. “Aren’t we choosing locations for the Secret Code promotion tomorrow?” Junsu nodded. Changmin sighed, shaking his head.

Junsu lightly punched Changmin in the chest. “Hey, don’t fret about tomorrow and just enjoy tonight, okay?” He smiled. “Besides, it won’t even be the five of us.” Changmin looked at him curiously. “Just you, me and Yoochun. We talked about it in the car, remember?” The look on the youngest member’s face showed that he did recall the conversation. Junsu shoved his hands in his pockets. “Now if you excuse me, I’m going to make sure Yoochun doesn’t take two hours in the shower.” He turned and left the small kitchen, turning down the hall to the bathroom.

* * *

Changmin sat on the edge of the pullout sofa bed, putting his shoes on as Junsu and Yunho were talking by the door. Yoochun was already outside, waiting on the other two to hurry up. As Changmin pulled the laces tighter on the shoes, Yunho was telling Junsu to make sure Yoochun did not try to assassinate them by driving the car into a tree or a truck. It was in a joking manner, but it was his way of making sure the others would be safe on the road. Once he was finished, Changmin stood up and walked over; the other two looked at him when he did.

“You ready to go?” Junsu asked, lightly hitting him in the chest.

Changmin nodded and Junsu looked back to Yunho.

“Just be careful, please,” Yunho said as he brushed some lint from Junsu’s black, long-sleeved shirt. Junsu nodded, his hand on the door handle as he pressed down on it, pulling it open.

“Don’t worry, hyung. We’ll be back by midnight or so.”

Yunho nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer. “Have fun,” he said as Junsu nodded and left the room. Changmin nodded to him and followed after Junsu, shutting the door behind him. Yunho sighed and rubbed the back of his head, turning around and walking back to the couch. They had closed up the bed after Jaejoong decided he was tired of lying on the bed whenever he wanted to watch something. Yunho sat back down on the left end of the couch, leaning on the arm and looking at Jaejoong who was watching the television screen. He shifted to sit closer to the older member, looking at his face.

“Jaejoong, you look bored.”

Jaejoong shook his head to look at him. “No. Not bored just...thinking.”

Yunho nodded. “What about?”

The eldest shrugged. “Nothing in particular. Just about tomorrow.”

He went quiet after that. It had been six months since everything happened and the group was returning back to as normal as normal could be. With their new album released, they were back to promotions – as though nothing had happened. The rumours stayed in the media for a few weeks and all over blog posts on the internet, but for the fans and whatnot, it was as though it had never happened. Just a small incident that was now covered up by the facade of the media. Not that any of them had minded – it had allowed Jaejoong a bit of peace as he recovered.

Physically, the only evidence that it had even happened was the scar on Jaejoong’s chest from where the blade pierced his body. And even that trace evidence had faded – the scar being no longer than an inch. Though since, Yunho and Jaejoong had become closer, as had the rest of the group. Despite ‘getting close to him’, as the psychologist told Yunho not to do, it did not seem as though Jaejoong became dependent on the other member. After the first week of leaving the hospital, Jaejoong finally stopped going into Yunho’s room in the middle of the night. Though occasionally Yoochun would wake up in the early morning to find the eldest tossing and turning in his sleep; but, as the months passed, those incidents happened less and less.

It was apparent that Jaejoong was returning back to his old self during their time in Korea while staying at the house when Changmin was in the kitchen making lunch for himself. Jaejoong came in and asked if he could help – it was the first time that the oldest member had done anything that he used to do. Give or take, it took over a month, but when he did, he and Changmin ended up making dinner for the five of them. Yoochun was almost in shock when he found out and after they had eaten, Yoochun and Yunho cleaned up while Changmin went outside, saying he needed air. Junsu sat on the couch with Jaejoong for a while; at least until the other two were done cleaning up and came back into the living room. Once they did, Changmin was still gone, so Junsu went to check on him.

He found the other member outside around the side of the building, leaning his back against it and looking up at the sky, eyes red and other notable traces on his face. When he had realized Junsu’s presence, he began wiping at his face, saying that it was nothing. Junsu had said nothing; he just leaned against the wall next to Changmin, staring up at the sky as the younger member had done. He started to talk, saying how it was great that Jaejoong was returning back to normal and things were starting to come back together. Changmin just kept silent and his eyes on the ground.

Otherwise, they were doing promotional performances and whatnot for their Secret Code album and, for the most part, Jaejoong was holding up. He continued to say how he enjoyed being able to go back out and perform – that having to be cooped up all of the time was boring and gave him nothing but his own thoughts as entertainment. The others agreed.

There was a telephone continually ringing on the television screen as a girl sat in her living room, watching it. She just kept watching it until it stopped ringing and the voicemail started up. As the movie continued to progress, it rolled in to a scene that had advanced a few years. A male was sitting on a bench in the park, watching people walk by. The narration on the movie started, saying even though it had been so many years, he never forgot about the female from earlier. Yunho moved closer to him and laid his hand on Jaejoong’s leg. The other did not even seem to notice.

When the credits finally rolled and the ending song began to play, Jaejoong just continued to stare at the screen, an almost blank look on his face. Yunho looked at him, looking for movement, but none followed. He turned back to watch the screen as well, the credits continuing to roll up the screen. The ending theme has stopped and the screen went blank as the DVD player shut off. Even still, they sat in silence.

Finally, Jaejoong finally broke the silence.

“Yunho...,” Jaejoong started, eyes not trailing from the television screen.

Yunho turned to look at him, eyebrows furrowed upwards as a curious look played with his features. “Yeah?” he asked, voice soft but queried.

Jaejoong shifted his sitting position to where he had both of his legs crossed as he sat on the couch. Yet, even so, he still continued to stare at the screen. “Do you ever....” He paused for a moment before biting his lip and looking down at his lap. “Think about the future?”

With his head cocked slightly to the side, Yunho questioned. “What do you mean?”

At this, Jaejoong inhaled and leaned back on the back of the couch, now staring at the wall above the television. “You know...the future. Maybe...where we’ll all be in a few years?”

Yunho seemed to think about it for a minute before responding. He stared off to the side before looking back to the older member. “Sometimes. Why?”

Jaejoong stayed silent as he continued to stare at the same spot. The silence filled the room and Yunho was starting to think that Jaejoong was going nowhere with his question; that was until Jaejoong turned his head to face him. “What do you see?” he asked as they made eye contact.

Yunho exhaled in a fast breath and pursed his lips together, now staring down at the couch. He shifted his eyes off to the side before turning his body straight. There was a buzzing coming from the lamp next to the couch and it flickered as the air conditioning came on. He made a sideways glance to Jaejoong who was still looking at him, waiting for an answer. He sighed before speaking.

“I see us, Dong Bang Shin Ki, still going strong,” he started out, waving his hand in front of his face as if he were swiping the vision of it in the air. “And the five of us being happy.” He turned to look at Jaejoong and smiled. The other was still looking at him, eyes hardly blinking. Yunho put his hands next to him and shifted to move closer to Jaejoong, placing his hand on the other’s forearm, meeting his eyes again. “And I see you,” he replied, a slight smiling forming on the corners of his mouth. At this, Jaejoong looked curious. “I see you smiling...at me.” Jaejoong’s eyes looked off to the side and he brought his head back to face in front of him. Yunho moved his hand from Jaejoong’s shoulder to set it on the other member’s leg. “And I realize…that I don’t ever want to look up…and see that you’re not there.”

Jaejoong looked at Yunho from the corner of his eye to see Yunho smiling softly at him. He looked back down at his lap, chewing at his bottom lip as if contemplating on how to respond. For a moment, Yunho became nervous that he had said the wrong thing, but realized when Jaejoong started to speak.

“I...,” he trailed off and paused, as though he wanted to say something, but did not know how to say it. His body tensed. “Yunho...I...,” he paused again, this time shutting his eyes as his body quivered. He went silent after that, not speaking anymore.

Face filled with curiosity and concern, Yunho gave Jaejoong’s leg a light squeeze. “Jaejoong?” he asked, voice soothing as it flooded out. Jaejoong clenched his hands together, opening his eyes and starting down at his lap. His mouth moved and he said something, but Yunho could not hear him. “What?” Yunho asked, wanting him to repeat it.

Seeming to tense further, Yunho noticed that Jaejoong’s lower jaw kept shaking. “I love you, Yunho.” As soon as he said it, his shoulders began shaking. Yunho dropped his shoulders and looked at Jaejoong softly.

“Jaejoong....”

Jaejoong shook his head. “I’m sorry. I just...don’t want you to hate me.” He inhaled sharply when he spoke.

Yunho did not reply. Instead, he put his hand on Jaejoong’s face and had him turn his head to face him. Without saying a word, he leaned in and lightly met Jaejoong’s lips. When he broke away from him, he immediately pulled him into a hug.

“Y-Yunho?”

“You don’t know...how long...I’ve waited for you to say that,” Yunho said, tightening the hug he had Jaejoong in. “That night in the hotel...those months ago...,” he paused and tightened his hold a bit further. “You told me that.... I knew before then about my feelings for you. I just...didn’t know the right time to say them.”

“Yunho....”

“I love you so much, Jaejoong. I couldn’t imagine you not being here with me.” He inhaled sharply. “When I thought I lost you...my mind was going crazy. I realized...that I need you, Jaejoong. I need you here with me. Always smiling. Always...looking at me.” He pulled back and pressed their foreheads together, shutting his eyes. “And I’m selfish.”

Jaejoong blinked, looking at him. “Why?”

Yunho opened his eyes, peering into the other’s. “Because I don’t want you to look at anyone else but me.”

“Yunho....”

All he could manage to get out was the other’s name again before Yunho brought his face in to meet the other’s lips for a second time. He pulled back and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him back into another embrace. This time, Jaejoong returned it, bringing his arms up and wrapping them around Yunho’s back. They stayed in the position for what seemed to be ages before either of them spoke again.

“When I was,” Jaejoong started, his voice quiet, “at the hotel and....” He paused for a moment, trying to not bring back up too many memories. “Kwan-Seung was....” He swallowed, inhaling. “I’ll I could think of...was you, Yunho,” he said, his broken sentences starting to make sense. “I was...scared that I’d...,” he inhaled sharply as his eyes started to water. “That I’d...never get to see you again. You were...the one that I....” He paused again, shutting his eyes. “I – I wanted you, you know?”

Yunho could only nod as he brought his hand up and ran it through Jaejoong’s hair. They stayed silent for a few minutes, allowing the wave to fade. When Jaejoong was finally calmed down, he inhaled deeply, releasing it in a shaking breath.

“Yunho?”

“Yeah?” he asked, voice soft.

Jaejoong tensed up, suddenly which caused concern for the younger member.

“...can we?” Jaejoong asked, almost in a whisper.

Yunho pulled back and peered into Jaejoong’s face. He gave him a quizzical look, as if trying to confirm what the other said. Jaejoong suddenly looked panicked, as if he was afraid he had accidentally said the wrong thing. “What?” Yunho asked, making sure he heard him right.

Jaejoong’s eyes went wide and his eyebrows shot up underneath his hair. “I – I’m sorry!” he sputtered out, pulling away from Yunho. “I didn’t mean—”

Yunho shook his head and grabbed Jaejoong’s hand. “Wait. That’s not what I meant,” he said quickly. Jaejoong looked back to him. “I meant...are you sure?”

Jaejoong clenched his jaw, his eyebrows still furrowed upwards. He kept his gaze with Yunho as he slightly nodded his head, still looking fearful. Yunho exhaled, retracting his arm and running his hand through his hair. He dropped it and met Jaejoong’s eyes. He sighed and stood up, Jaejoong looking at him. Yunho looked at the eldest, glanced back down the hall towards the bedrooms and back to Jaejoong. “Well...I don’t think Changmin and Junsu would be too happy if it was here.” Jaejoong laughed nervously. Yunho went up to Jaejoong and held out his hand. “Shall we?”

Smiling while releasing another nervous laugh, Jaejoong nodded and took Yunho’s opened hand, standing up from the couch. Once he was standing, Yunho smirked and bent down, putting his left arm around Jaejoong’s back and the other right above the bend of his knees. He picked Jaejoong up, the other wrapping his arms around his neck, and started to walk to the bedroom.

When they walked in, Yunho kicked the door shut with his foot and went to the bed, setting Jaejoong upon it. He crawled up on the bed as well, kissing Jaejoong as he pushed him back on the bed to where they were both laying on it. Jaejoong wrapped his arms around Yunho’s neck and shoulders as the other started kissing down his neck and collarbone. Yunho started to run his hands up Jaejoong’s shirt, letting his hands wander up and down the other’s abdomen. As he pulled his shirt up further, they both had to break away momentarily as Yunho pulled Jaejoong’s shirt over his head to take it off. While they were broken apart, Yunho took his own shirt off as well before returning back to kissing Jaejoong’s jaw line.

Jaejoong released a light moan when Yunho lightly bit the skin on his neck, chill bumps rising on his arms. The younger member started to kiss down his abdomen, hands holding on to Jaejoong’s waist as he did. Jaejoong pressed harder on the bed, his body giving into the sensations Yunho was tracing along. When Yunho reached the other’s naval, he let his tongue trace the outer rim before dipping it in, causing Jaejoong to jerk. Yunho could not help it. He laughed.

“Shut up,” Jaejoong said back to him, his fingers grabbing the bed sheets.

Yunho laughed, still. “You’re so cute, _hyung_.”

Jaejoong bit his bottom lip at the formality. “Shut up.”

As he kissed down his stomach and reached the button and zipper of Jaejoong’s jeans, he started to undo them. He looked back up to Jaejoong.

“Are you sure?” he asked, once he had them undone.

Jaejoong nodded and Yunho shrugged, returning back and pulling Jaejoong’s jeans down, slipping them off of the other’s ankles and tossing them carelessly to the side. He pulled back up and started to kiss Jaejoong again, allowing his hand to trail down the eldest’s abdomen and slide into his black boxers. Jaejoong gasped when Yunho’s hand clasped around his length. Yunho bit Jaejoong’s bottom lip as he started to move his hand up and down. Jaejoong’s tightened his grip around Yunho’s shoulders, clenching his jaw as he tried to hold back a moan.

Yunho went back to kissing Jaejoong’s neck as he continued. However, when he stopped, Jaejoong looked to see what he was doing. Yunho leaned over and had reached into a small, black bag that he had sitting on the table next to the bed. He started rummaging around before pulling out a small tube.

“Do you always carry that with you?” Jaejoong asked, his face red from their actions.

Yunho shrugged. “Never hurts to be prepared, right?” He smirked when he saw Jaejoong turn his head away.

He went back to Jaejoong’s boxers and began tugging them off like he had his jeans. Jaejoong blushed when he felt his lower half expose and his initial reaction was to close his legs, but Yunho had shifted to where he was sitting between them. Yunho took the small tube and opened it, holding the cap in his mouth as he dispensed some of the lubricant on his hand. Jaejoong pursed his lips together and turned his head away again when Yunho began applying it in and around him. He pulled up to kiss Jaejoong again as he allowed his middle finger to slide into Jaejoong. With the lubricant, it slid in with ease, but Jaejoong still could not help but tense. After a moment, Yunho slipped in his index finger as well, moving in and out before moving his fingers in a scissor-like motion.

When he went in a little deeper, Jaejoong released a surprised shout and jerked. Yunho laughed and did it again, finding and pressing against Jaejoong’s prostate, causing the other’s breath to hitch in his throat and waves shoot through his body.

“You okay?” Yunho asked, seeing his reaction.

Jaejoong clenched his eyes shut, but nodded. “It’s so...good,” he breathed out the last word.

“Okay, then.” Yunho extracted his fingers and leaned back, finally undoing his own jeans as well. He dispensed a bit more lubricant in the palm of his hand before preparing himself, too. He opened Jaejoong’s legs a bit wider before pressing himself against Jaejoong’s entrance and slowly sliding in.

He could tell Jaejoong was trying hard to resist tensing. Once his was in, he waited to make sure Jaejoong was okay and relaxed. When the oldest member confirmed, Yunho slowly slid out and back in. He repeated his actions a few more times and, when Jaejoong spoke, began increasing the haste of his actions.

After a minute or two, he suddenly stopped when he noticed that Jaejoong was crying, tears sliding down his face with his eyes shut tight. Yunho dropped his shoulders, his eyebrows furrowing up.

“Jaejoong...I’m sorry,” he said, pursing his lips together. Jaejoong opened his eyes and looked at Yunho. The leader’s face was showing nothing but concern. “I shouldn’t have...I’m sorry.”

Jaejoong pulled up and wrapped his arms around Yunho, hugging him. “Please don’t stop, Yunho,” Jaejoong said quietly.

“Are you sure?” Yunho asked again, still concerned.

Jaejoong nodded and pulled back, meeting his lips with Yunho’s. “I want this, Yunho. Please don’t stop.”

Wrapping his arms around Jaejoong, Yunho pressed in a little further. Minutes later, Jaejoong began clenching his jaw and inhaling with a mixture of panting. He kept saying he was at his point, almost whining as he did. Yunho came moments after he saw Jaejoong’s face in ecstasy.

They both lay panting in each others’ arms, eyes closed as beads of sweat dripped down their faces and other areas of their bodies. Finally catching his breath, Yunho propped himself on his forearms and looked at Jaejoong’s face, a smile toying with his features. He started running his hand through Jaejoong’s hair. He leaned down to kiss his forehead.

“Tired?” he asked, voice quiet.

Jaejoong stayed still before nodding his head. He turned and looked at the younger member, eyes drifting asleep. “Thank you,” he dragged out, smiling as the leader returned it before leaning down to catch his lips in another kiss. He pulled back.

“I love you,” Yunho said, continuing to run his hand through the other’s hair. Jaejoong bit his bottom lip to hold back a smile. Yunho slightly arched to pop his back, then said, “Go ahead and sleep, Jaejoong.” He laid on top of him, setting his head on Jaejoong’s chest.

“But...what about when the others come back?” Jaejoong asked, fatigue lacing his vocals.

Yunho shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I have a feeling they’ll be too tired and just go to sleep.” He glanced towards the door. “Besides...the door’s locked,” he said, mentioning the bedroom door.

Jaejoong nodded, not saying anything else. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment before shutting his eyes, letting the sleepiness wash over him. As they laid in silence for minutes that seemed like hours, Jaejoong spoke when Yunho shifted.

“Yunho?”

“Hm?”

“...promise you’ll still be here when I wake up?”

Yunho shifted to prop himself back up on his arms and looked at Jaejoong, the other opening his eyes to meet his. “Jaejoong...I’ll always be here when you wake up.”

They smiled back to each other as they both leaned in for one more kiss. As they broke apart, they heard the front door to the apartment slam close. They could not help it and they both laughed as Yunho reached over and shut the light off, pulling up the covers and covering them both as the other members’ voices were heard in the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rereading this - something I had written when TVXQ was still with all five and a powerhouse of South Korean entertainment - it makes me miss thinking about their success together. 
> 
> Argh. I made myself sad. (; - ; )  
> Epilogue to go, everyone.


	23. Epilogue: Profile of a Madman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dong Bang Shin Ki fan-fiction begins popping up all over the internet, which is not usually a bad thing. It is about one member in particular: Kim Jaejoong. But this story describes very explicit actions that occur between the DBSK member and the author.
> 
> Very gruesome and illicit happenings.
> 
> It’s all just a made-up story, right?
> 
> Then, Jaejoong goes missing and no one has any idea of where he is. The other members and staff are frantic trying to find the missing member; the only clue to his whereabouts seems to be this strange story.
> 
> This one story may end up being more fan-fact than fan-fiction than anyone ever imagined.

_**EPILOGUE:** Profile of a Madman_

**Name** : Lee Kwan-Seung  
 **D.O.B** : March 25th, 1981  
 **Height** : 187cm  
 **Weight** : 67kg  
 **Blood type** : B+

_It was raining that night; and not just the light rain that we’ve all come to expect over the years – no. It was pouring._

_I remember the rain beating down on my car as I was driving home that night. I was home early after being away for three weeks on business, so I thought I would surprise her by coming home earlier than she anticipated._

_After I had accepted the job offer at Chouxiang International, we were hardly able to spend time together. I would be gone for days, sometimes weeks at a time, what with having to commute back and forth between countries. The plane attendants had become accustomed to my face – they had seen me so often._

_I stopped by the jewelry store before I left for the airport earlier that morning and picked her out a diamond necklace. We had only been married a little over a year, but I knew from the moment I saw her that we were meant to be together. It was only natural that I wanted to spoil her – to get her everything she ever wanted and more._

_That was the reason I accepted the job in the first place._

_True._

_It wasn’t my dream job, and I hated being away from her so often, but it paid extremely well and we were very well off. She had just turned twenty-two and I would be turning twenty-one next month._

_I was lucky to have met and married the woman of my dreams – she was perfect in every way. Personality and physical appearances were both stunning and I knew that others were jealous of our relationship._

_What did she look like; I’m sure you’re asking._

_She was the epitome of beauty._

_I know what you’re thinking. Of course I’m going to say that – she was my wife. But just imagine in your head for a moment._

_A beautiful, young woman with a height that was just shy of 173cm (she was quite tall, wasn’t she?), her high-bridged nose and perfect smile…. And no matter how much we were outside, her skin always stayed so light and smooth. Then her lips were red, poking out against the softness of her skin and making her that much more beautiful – her chin even came to a light, rounded point._

_You understand it now, right?_

_I pulled up to the house and I could see the light from the living room lamp through the curtains. The upstairs bedroom light was on, as well, so I knew she was still awake._

_I could picture the look on her face when I walked through the door – she’d be ecstatic._

_I shut off my headlights and pulled into the driveway; I didn’t want her to see the lights from my car and realize I was home. I shut off the engine and unbuckled myself before reaching into the bag next to me and pulling out the box that held her gift. I would retrieve my suitcase afterwards. So I got out of the car, carefully shut the door so it wouldn’t slam and walked up the four steps to the front door. I knew it would be locked, an unlocking the door without her hearing it was going to be difficult, but I tried, anyway. I inserted my house key, slowly turned it, heard the latch unlock and took back my key. Pressing down on the handle, I opened the door and stepped in, then quietly shut it back. As soon as it was completely closed, I called for her._

_I didn’t hear a response, so the thought ran through my head that she had fallen asleep on the couch again._

_She was prone to doing that._

_I walked through the doorway that lead towards the living room, expecting to see her there on the couch, but instead my heart fell in my chest. The box fell from my hand._

_There she was, lying at the bottom of the stairs…sprawled out on the floor…._

* * *

“Can we take a minute?”

“Of course. Take all the time you need,” the investigator said, leaning back in their chair that sat across Kwan-Seung on the other side of the table. While he was leaned back, he glanced at the mirror in the room – the double-sided mirror that other personnel were on the other side of.

The camera in the left corner of the room blinked.

The man they were getting a statement from inhaled sharply and shook his head. “If I wouldn’t have taken that job, I would have been home and she’d still be—” He jerked in a sharp inhale again. He looked down at his lap so his face was out of view from the investigator as his shoulder shook up and down. He took in a deep breath and looked back up at the man he was talking to, his eyes red. “I called an ambulance…and they…said she was already…by the time they got there.”

The man nodded. He sighed and leaned forward, putting his hand on the edges of the table. “Well, sir, we thank you for taking the time to come down here to give us a statement. You may go ahead and go back home.” Kwan-Seung nodded as he looked back down at the table. As the investigator stood, he gave the other a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry for your loss.” He turned and opened the door, walking out and leaving the door open for the other to leave, as well.

Kwan-Seung waited a minute to compose himself before he stood and followed after the investigator, walking into the precinct that was full of so many other people.

* * *

“He was so distraught over the death of his wife that we never thought he would be capable to do the things he did afterwards,” Chashin said as she set down the cardboard tray that held three coffees – the fourth, Chashin was already holding.

“Thank you,” Junsu said as he took one of the cups. Yoochun and Yunho echoed the response.

“It’s nothing. I’m sorry that it took so long to get this information to you all, though.” She sat down next to Yoochun, but across from Junsu and Yunho. The café they were in was mildly crowded, but it was to be expected at nine o’clock in the morning.

Yunho shook his head and set his on the table, making a quick glance around the café. They had to have looked like hoodlums walking around, all bundled up, and hardly even showing their faces. Thankfully, they could also contribute part of that to the weather. Outside of the window, snow was covering the streets and sidewalks; and those that were walking around were also covered from nearly head-to-toe. All of them were wearing toboggans, as was Chashin; but unlike her, the others were trying to conceal their faces so as not to be recognized by the public. Yoochun and Junsu were wearing mufflers that could cover practically up to their noses, whereas Yunho was wearing a sweater underneath of his coat that the collar pretty much substituted for a muffler. 

Thirteen months after everything was over, Yoochun received a phone call, saying that there was information pertaining to Jaejoong’s case that they might want to hear. He told Junsu, Changmin and Yunho who were all interested to know what they found out, and Yunho went to talk to Jaejoong about it, asking him if he wanted to know the information. Jaejoong’s reply was simple, saying that he “did not even want to give _that psycho_ the satisfaction, even in death, that he cared.” Changmin said that he would stay with the oldest member, whereas his mindset was much the same: he did not care to know.

“Which we would like to thank you again, for,” Yunho said as Chashin took a drink from her coffee.

She nodded. “Just don’t let anyone from my jurisdiction know that I contacted you or that I showed you that tape, okay?” she said, referring to the video surveillance she had shown them of Kwan-Seung in custody before they headed to the café. They reassured her they would not. “If they find out, they won’t hesitate to hound me until they get my badge.” There was a long pause as they all sat in silence, contemplating what to do or what to say next. Chatter surrounded them as the crowd in the building held up conversation with each other. “So,” she picked up again, drawing their attention. “How is your friend, now? He holding up okay?”

They all nodded their heads. Junsu had taken the lid off of his coffee and was blowing on it, as though he thought it would cool it down quicker. “He’s doing really well,” Yunho answered. “Just trying to put everything behind him….”

She nodded. “I’m glad to hear that.”

The sound of glass breaking drew their attention to a waitress who bumped into a customer and dropped a tray filled with glass plates. As she apologized and began to pick them up, Chashin’s face drained and she pulled down her toboggan and pulled up the collar on her jacket. They all looked at her, pulling their attention away from the waitress.

“Damn, my lieutenant is here,” she spoke, glancing back over towards the direction of the door. The three Dong Bang Shin Ki members looked over and saw a familiar face – one of the investigators from over a year ago at the hotel. “I apologize, but I need to go. Tell your friend I wish him all the best,” she said quickly as she stood up. She grabbed her coffee and, making sure to stay inconspicuous, crossed the crowd of people to the exit and left the café. The three saw her cover her face more as she walked down the sidewalk and out of sight.

The three of them decided to at least finish their coffees that she had been nice enough to buy them before heading out themselves and hoping they would get just as lucky leaving as they had arriving – that is to say, no recognition. Or at least not recognition that would result in them having to be held up. They finished their drinks and stood to leave, making sure they were well covered before exiting the café and walking back out into the winter cold. While trying to hail a cab, they were approached by two females, which had to have matched their ages, before asking for an autograph, and then walking away, in nearly dog-whistle high squeals.

A cab pulled up not a moment later.

**_~End~_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone who has read this,  
> thank you so much! (^ ^*)
> 
> I love reading how you all have liked it - your favourite parts and least favourite parts.   
> Many times, those comments make my day. (^ v ^)
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking through it all with me!

**Author's Note:**

> So...what do you all think?  
> Is this worth continuing to post? (^ ^*)


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